LIHU‘E — The next session of the state Legislature is less than eight weeks away from its official opening Jan. 16. While the House of Representatives makes headlines over a supposed deal that would force a leadership change, the Senate has already assigned its leadership roles and selected the members of its 16 committees for the next two years.
Sen. Ron Kouchi, D-Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau, was selected as the Senate’s Majority Caucus Leader for the 2013-2014 session, a position he held since 2011.
In the past two years, Kouchi has served as the vice chair of the Committee on Tourism and Government Operations, and as a member of the committees on Agriculture, Transportation and International Affairs, and Ways and Means. In addition to continuing serving these roles in the next two years, Kouchi will expand his participation in the Senate by becoming the vice chair of the Committee on Agriculture .
“Having been involved in the agriculture community, I was pleased to accept the position when Senate President (Shan Tsutsui) asked me to serve as vice chair of the committee,” Kouchi said in a press release Tuesday. “I would like to work on issues regarding food security and sustainability, making sure that we as a state is able to provide for ourselves if a disaster strikes and isolates us from cargo being shipped here.”
Sen. Shan Tsutsui will continue as Senate president. He was the Majority Caucus Leader from 2005 until 2010. In 2011, Tsutsui left that position to became the youngest Senate president and the first one from Maui.
Sen. Donna Mercado Kim will also retain her position as the Senate’s vice president for the next two years.
Other leadership positions for the next two years include Sen. Brickwood Galuteria as Majority Leader; Sen. Les Ihara Jr. as Majority Policy Leader; Sen. Will Espero as Majority Floor Leader; Sens. Gilbert Kahele and Jill Tokuda as Majority Whips; and Sen. Sam Slom as Minority/Floor Leader.
Slom is the only Republican senator out of 25 state senators. All other senators are from the Democratic party.
The Senate announced its leadership members a day after the Nov. 6 General Election.
“The Senate acted quickly to organize with a primary goal of promoting an environment of cooperation and shared leadership and authority,” states Tuesday’s release, adding that committee assignments were announced 10 days after Election Day.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@thegardenisland.com.
