#Sean Quinlan

State Sen. Lorraine Inouye, whose district includes Hilo, Paukaʻa, Papaikou and Pepeʻekeo, was honored June 26 with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi’s Impact Gala: Advocacy Awards and Highlights.

With Mauiʻi’s Kim Ball leading a long effort to make surfing an official statewide high school sport — it was fitting that a sophomore from Maui won the first state high school surfing title in Hawaiʻi history.

State Rep. Elle Cochran of West Maui missed 20% of floor sessions so far this year, the highest absence rate among all House members, according to House of Representatives’ Daily Session Attendance sheets. The records show Cochran was absent for 11 out of 55 session days.

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature will convene in regular session on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, marking the second year of the 33rd Legislature. As the legislative session begins, the House Majority Caucus has outlined its top priorities for the upcoming year.

House Democrats celebrated the successful advancement of the 2025 House Majority Package on Wednesday, with all seven bills now either passing final reading in both legislative chambers, adopted through companion legislation, or funded through the state budget. All measures now await the governor’s signature. 

The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives has approved all seven bills in the House Majority Package on third reading ahead of the first crossover deadline on Thursday. The bills move on to the Senate for further consideration. 

After a nearly three-hour hearing, members of the House committees on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture & Food Systems voted Tuesday afternoon to recommend passage of a bill to legalize adult recreational marijuana use.

With Opening Day just days away, House Speaker Nadine K. Nakamura, House Majority Leader Sean Quinlan, and House Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto came together today to announce their bipartisan shared values that the entire House will follow as the 33rd Legislature begins.

With strong support from a majority of members of the state House of Representatives, Rep. Nadine K. Nakamura assumed the role of speaker of the House effective Nov. 6, 2024, making history as the first woman to hold this position in the state of Hawaiʻi.