Hawaii House of Representatives
| Hawaii House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 16, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Calvin Say, (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Pono Chong, (D) |
| Minority leader: | Gene Ward, (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 51 |
| Democratic Party (44) Republican Party (7) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Article III of the Hawaii Constitution |
| Salary: | $48,708/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (51 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (51 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Hawaii Reapportionment Commission |
Contents |
The 51 members of the House are elected to two-year terms with no term limits. The House of Representatives convenes each session on the third Wednesday in January. Regular sessions are limited to a period of 60 working days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and designated recess days[3].
As of May 2013, Hawaii is one of 12 Democratic state government trifectas.
Sessions
Article III of the Hawaii Constitution establishes when the Hawaii State Legislature, which the House of Representatives is a part of, is to be in session. Section 10 of Article III states that the Legislature shall convene in regular session on the third Wednesday in January of every year. Regular sessions are limited to sixty legislative days, but they can be extended by fifteen days by the Governor of Hawaii or by the request of two-thirds of each legislative house. Section 10 mandates that the Legislature take a mandatory recess of at least five days during each regular session.
Section 10 also contains provisions regarding special sessions of the Legislature. Special sessions can involve both houses of the Legislature or the Senate alone. Special sessions can be convened by the Governor of Hawaii or by two-thirds of the house or houses seeking to convene. Special sessions are limited in length. They are not to last more than thirty legislative days, but they, like regular sessions, can be extended for fifteen days.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 16 to mid-March.
Major issues
Much of the 60 day session will be focused on finances and the state budget. Major issues will include revenue, hotel room tax, GET increase, education funding, and renewable energy tax credits.[4]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House was in session from January 18 to May 3.
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the House was in session from January 19 through May 5.
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the House of Representatives was in session from January 20th to April 29th.
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Hawaii House of Representatives were held in Hawaii on November 6, 2012. All 51 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was July 12, 2012. The primary election day was August 11, 2012.[5]
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Hawaii House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 45 |  Lauren Kealohilani Cheape |
1.7% | 5,166 | Jake Bradshaw |
| District 46 | Marcus Oshiro |
1.7% | 5,166 | Christopher Murphy |
| District 40 | Bob McDermott |
2.2% | 6,356 | Chris Kalani Manabat |
| District 36 | Beth Fukumoto |
4.9% | 10,172 | Marilyn Lee |
| District 27 |  Takashi Ohno |
15.1% | 8,416 | Corinne Ching |
| District 47 | Richard Fale |
16.1% | 7,544 | D. Ululani Beirne |
| District 18 | Mark Hashem |
21.7% | 12,016 | Jeremy Low |
| District 26 | Scott Saiki |
21.7% | 6,841 | Tiffany Au |
| District 41 | Rida Cabanilla Arakawa |
22.7% | 7,060 | Adam Reeder |
| District 3 | Richard Onishi |
24.4% | 8,629 | Marlene Nachbar Hapai |
2010
Elections for the office of Hawaii State Representative were held in Hawaii on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was July 20, 2010, and the primary election day was September 18, 2010.
The partisan breakdown of the House before and after the election was as follows:
| Hawaii House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 45 | 43 | |
| Republican Party | 6 | 8 | |
| Total | 51 | 51 | |
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in house campaigns was $3,066,163. The top donors were: [6]
| 2010 Donors, Hawaii House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Hawaii Association of Realtors | $81,950 |
| Hapai, Marlene | $30,613 |
| Hawaii State Teachers Association | $27,600 |
| Hawaii Carpenters and Joiners | $25,500 |
| Hawaii Republican Party | $24,525 |
| Electrical Workers Local 1186 | $24,500 |
| Hawaii Medical Service Association | $24,300 |
| Radcliffe, John H | $22,350 |
| Operating Engineers Local 3 | $22,250 |
| Linda Lingle Campaign Cmte | $22,000 |
Qualifications
From Article III, Section 7 of the Hawaii Constitution: No person shall be eligible to serve as a member of the house of representatives unless the person has been a resident of the State for not less than three years, has attained the age of majority and is, prior to filing nomination papers and thereafter continues to be, a qualified voter of the representative district from which the person seeks to be elected; except that in the year of the first general election following reapportionment, but prior to the primary election, an incumbent representative may move to a new district without being disqualified from completing the remainder of the incumbent representative's term.
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the House, the Governor is responsible for appointing a replacement. For all vacancies, the Governor must appoint a replacement within 60 days after the vacancy happened. The candidate is selected from a list of three prospective candidates submitted by the political party that last held the vacant seat. The party has thirty days after the vacancy to submit a list of prospective candidates. If the person leaving the seat is a independent, the Governor must select a resident from the vacant district that is not a member of any political party[7] [8].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Hawaii
Redistricting is handled by the nine-member Hawaii Reapportionment Commission.
2010 census
Hawaii received its local census data on February 22, 2011. Governor Neil Abercrombie suggested that a constitutional amendment be put on the ballot to return Hawaii to multi-member districts, which had not been used since 1981 following a court decision. Though the state Attorney General cleared the path without the need for an amendment, the Commission shot down the idea.[9][10]
After having its first set of maps struck down by the Hawaii Supreme Court due to the exclusion of some non-residents, the Commission approved the final set of maps on March 8, 2012. A federal lawsuit to these maps was cleared in April, but a federal panel refused to overturn the maps in May, clearing the way for the elections to continue as scheduled even as the court case had yet to be heard.[11][12]
Representatives
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 44 | |
| Republican Party | 7 | |
| Total | 51 | |
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum and appointing all committee and subcommittee members.[13]
The 2011 session began on January 19 without Democratic leadership. A rift between old-line and progressive Democrats left members divided over leadership.[14]
Current leadership
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Hawaii legislature are paid $46,272/year. Additionally, legislators receive $150/day for per diem for members living outside Oahu during session, and $120/day during the interim while conducting official legislative business. Members living inside Oahu receive $10/day during the interim while conducting legislative business.[15]
When sworn in
Hawaii legislators assume office the first day of Legislative session following the election (usually the third Wednesday of January).
Current members
Standing committees
Hawaii House of Representatives has 20 standing committees:[16]
- Agriculture Committee
- Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee
- Economic Revitalization & Business Committee
- Education Committee
- Energy & Environmental Protection Committee
- Finance Committee
- Health Committee
- Higher Education Committee
- Housing Committee
- Human Services Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Labor & Public Employment Committee
- Legislative Management Committee
- Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs
- Public Safety Committee
- Tourism Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts
- Water & Land Committee
External links
- Official website of the Hawaii House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Hawaii House of Representatives
- Majority Caucus website
- Blog of the Hawaii House of Representatives Majority Caucus
- Minority Caucus website
- Blog of the Hawaii House of Representatives Minority Caucus
- Hawaii House Committees
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ "Hawaii Legislature" About the House of Representatives, March 13, 2009
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, " Lawmakers set stage for legislative session," January 15, 2013
- ↑ Hawaii Office of Elections "Election Dates, 2012"
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Hawaii House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Hawaii Legislature "Hawaii Revised Statutes"(Referenced Statute 17-3(a) (1)-(2))
- ↑ Hawaii Legislature "Hawaii Revised Statutes"(Referenced Statute 17-4(a)-(b))
- ↑ Star-Advertiser, "Multimember districts being talked up again," May 13, 2011
- ↑ Star-Advertiser, "Road to reapportionment," May 22, 2011
- ↑ Civil Beat, "Hawaii Reapportionment Challenge Will Get Day in Court," April 10, 2012
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Elections on Track as Court Rules Against Hawaii Redistricting Suit," May 22, 2012
- ↑ Hawaii House Leaders
- ↑ The Maui News, "Dems divided, without leader in state House," January 19, 2011
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ Hawaii House Committees
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