Senate Vice President Donna Mercado Kim (Sen. District 14) has been selected as the President of the Senate and will preside during the 27th Hawaii State Legislature, which will convene on January 16, 2013. Senator Ronald D. Kouchi (Sen. District 8) will serve as Senate Vice President.  Senator David Ige (Sen. District 16) will continue as Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, with Senator Michelle Kidani (Sen. District 18) serving as his Vice Chair.

The Senate acted quickly to organize after Maui State Senator Shan Tsutsui (Sen. District 5) took the oath of office as Lieutenant Governor yesterday. The Senate line up remains mostly intact to allow members continuity in their committee work as the Senate has been preparing for the upcoming session.

“We are solidified in dealing with the pressing issues facing our State. The Senate continues to be organized in a cooperative and focused manner. I’m humbled to receive the confidence and support of my colleagues” said Senate President Kim.

“We reached an agreement quickly so that we can continue to focus our attention on the issues and begin preparations for the 2013 session,” said Senate Vice President Kouchi.

Here are the other Senate leadership and committee chairmanships:

Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria,Assistant Majority Leader Michelle Kidani,Majority Floor Leader Will Espero,Majority Policy Leader Les Ihara,Majority Whip Gil Kahele,Majority Whip Jill Tokuda,Judiciary and Labor Chair Clayton Hee,Commerce and Consumer Protection Chair Roz Baker,Agriculture Chair Clarence Nishihara,Technology and The Arts Chair Glenn Wakai,Econ. Dev. Gov’t Oper. and Housing Chair Donovan Dela Cruz,Energy and Environment Chair Mike Gabbard, Education ChairJill Tokuda,Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs Chair Brickwood Galuteria,Health Chair Josh Green,Higher Education Chair Brian Taniguchi,Human Services Chair Suzanne Chun Oakland,Public Safety and Military Affairs Chair Will Espero,Transportation & International Affairs Chair Kalani English, Water and Land Chair Malama Solomon