The view from the rotunda of the Hawaii Capitol on Tuesday, a day when hundreds of bills ranging from an ivory ban to gun control were approved in the House and Senate.

Students peer into the House chambers Tuesday as the action heats up with voting during the so-called “second crossover.”

Rep. Della Au Belatti, left, and Rep. Takashi Ohno do some last-minute reading as the parade of votes on proposed bills continues.

Rep. Sylvia Luke can’t hide the hilarity of a moment she shares with Rep. Scott Nishimoto. Luke is chair of the House Finance Committee.

Visiting students take in the action on the floor of the Senate chambers as the voting continues Tuesday.

Demonstrators gather in the Capitol rotunda to protest a water rights bill that the Senate nevertheless approved. Opponents say it allows big agricultural interests to divert water from smaller users, such as East Maui taro farmers.

Papakolea resident Kauluwehiokalani Eli lets her sign do the talking in the rotunda. Other opponents of the water bill chanted and banged on empty jugs of water with wooden sticks.

Senate President Ronald Kouchi strikes a thoughtful pose while leading Tuesday’s floor session.

The desk of the Senate’s lone Republican, Sam Slom, sits empty during the session. Slom, who turned 74 on Wednesday, was scheduled to undergo coronary bypass surgery this week.