With the election results more or less finalized at this point, attention should be turned toward the 2005 Legislative session. 2005 you ask? Yes. While the Legislature does not officially commence until January 19, the business of getting the legislature going starts in ernest today.
For the majority Democrats they can celebrate in the fact that they have picked up 5 more House seats (GOP lost 6 but picked up 1) with the Republican minority becoming more of a minority next year. The count in the House is now 41 Democrats to 10 Republicans. Falling to a point under a 12 vote minority means that the GOP has lost a lot of power because now I think they cannot do several things like introducing amendments to bills on the on the House floor.
In the Senate things remain pretty much status quo as the majority holds on to their 20 member count and the minority Republicans continue with 5 members.
What will be interesting over the next few days or weeks is how both bodies will organize themselves and who will be named to various committee chair posts.
I suspect the House will remain with the same basic leadership, but over in the Senate there could be an effort among the majority to reorganize the leadership....
For example Senate President Bobby Bunda could be ousted if enough people within their majority decide to align themselves with another majority senator... say Senators Colleen Hanabusa or Donna Kim.
There will be 2 new Senators this year: Senator Clarence Nishihara who ousted Sen. Cal Kawamoto in the primary and Senator Clayton Hee who won Sen. Melodie Aduja's seat in the primary & general. From what I hear, Senator Hee is a very outspoken person and will push his weight around to gain some kind of key leadership or committee chair role. He used to be the Judiciary chair many years ago, and could vie for that position again.
Needless to say it will be interesting in the legislature. The Governor will continue to have a difficult time in getting her bills heard or passed. She will not have the veto proof power that she campaigned vigorously for.
The majority party will be relentless in whatever agenda they have on the table for the coming year. That I know for a fact. Anything to block or thwart the kind of legislation that are supported by Republicans and anything to make the Governor look bad. That is what the coming 2 years of the legislature will be like.
From a minority point of view, this will be nothing but "Damage Control". And controlling any damage that will be brought upon by the Democrats will be difficult.
For the majority Democrats they can celebrate in the fact that they have picked up 5 more House seats (GOP lost 6 but picked up 1) with the Republican minority becoming more of a minority next year. The count in the House is now 41 Democrats to 10 Republicans. Falling to a point under a 12 vote minority means that the GOP has lost a lot of power because now I think they cannot do several things like introducing amendments to bills on the on the House floor.
In the Senate things remain pretty much status quo as the majority holds on to their 20 member count and the minority Republicans continue with 5 members.
What will be interesting over the next few days or weeks is how both bodies will organize themselves and who will be named to various committee chair posts.
I suspect the House will remain with the same basic leadership, but over in the Senate there could be an effort among the majority to reorganize the leadership....
For example Senate President Bobby Bunda could be ousted if enough people within their majority decide to align themselves with another majority senator... say Senators Colleen Hanabusa or Donna Kim.
There will be 2 new Senators this year: Senator Clarence Nishihara who ousted Sen. Cal Kawamoto in the primary and Senator Clayton Hee who won Sen. Melodie Aduja's seat in the primary & general. From what I hear, Senator Hee is a very outspoken person and will push his weight around to gain some kind of key leadership or committee chair role. He used to be the Judiciary chair many years ago, and could vie for that position again.
Needless to say it will be interesting in the legislature. The Governor will continue to have a difficult time in getting her bills heard or passed. She will not have the veto proof power that she campaigned vigorously for.
The majority party will be relentless in whatever agenda they have on the table for the coming year. That I know for a fact. Anything to block or thwart the kind of legislation that are supported by Republicans and anything to make the Governor look bad. That is what the coming 2 years of the legislature will be like.
From a minority point of view, this will be nothing but "Damage Control". And controlling any damage that will be brought upon by the Democrats will be difficult.
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