Hawaii Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano speaks before a special session of the legislature on January 24, 2000. Behind him are Senate President Norman Mizuguchi and House Speaker Calvin Say.

The Hawaii State Legislature is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Governing from the city of Honolulu, it is the descendant of the royal legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the territorial legislature of the U.S. Territory of Hawaii. Its main purpose is to establish laws and conduct hearings to research what laws are needed in the state. It also has the power to confirm the governor's appointments and to propose amendments to the Hawaii State Constitution, which are subject to public vote.

Chambers

A bicameral system, the Hawaii State Legislature has two chambers. The lower chamber is the Hawaii State House of Representatives, which comprises fifty-one elected members and is led by the Speaker of the House. The upper chamber is the Hawaii State Senate, which comprises twenty-five elected members and is led by the President of the Senate. Legislators are elected to two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Like most state legislatures in the United States, the Hawaii State Legislature is a part-time body and legislators often have active careers outside of government.

Capitol

The Hawaii State Legislature governs from the Capitol, in the far right of this photo. Before 1969, it governed from Iolani Palace (surrounded by the lush greens in the foreground).

The Hawaii State Legislature has governed from the Hawaii State Capitol in downtown Honolulu since March 15, 1969. Previous to Governor John A. Burns's decision to build the new Capitol building, the Hawaii State Legislature met in Iolani Palace.

Resources

• Hawaii State Legislature
• Hawaii State Legislature Legislative Reference Bureau
• Hawaii State House of Representatives
• Hawaii State Senate