Hawaii State Senate - Definition and Overview

The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature which governs from Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. There twenty-five members from various electoral districts. It is led by the President of the Senate elected from the membership of the majority political party, usually a member of the Hawaii Democratic Party or the Hawaii Republican Party. The forerunner of the Hawaii State Senate during the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii was the House of Nobles. Senators are elected to two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Like in most state legislatures in the United States, the Hawaii State Senate is a part-time body and senators often have active careers outside of government. The lower chamber of the legislature is the Hawaii State House of Representatives.

Capitol

The Hawaii State Senate has been governing from the Hawaii State Capitol since 1969. Previous to that, it governed from the adjacent Iolani Palace.

The Hawaii State Senate has been governing from the Hawaii State Capitol in downtown Honolulu since March 15, 1969. Previous to the decision of Governor of Hawaii John A. Burns to build the new Capitol building, the Hawaii State Senate met in Iolani Palace.

Resources

• Hawaii State Legislature (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/)
• Hawaii State Legislature Legislative Reference Bureau (http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/)
• Hawaii State House of Representatives (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/house/house.asp?press1=house)
• Hawaii State Senate (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/senate/senate.asp?press1=senate)