Speaker Nadine Nakamura Announces Hawaii House Leadership for 34th Legislature

Nadine Nakamura Leads New Hawaii House Leadership Team for 34th Legislature

Hawaii House Speaker Nadine K. Nakamura announced the leadership team for the 34th Legislature on Friday, setting the stage for the upcoming 2027 legislative session. The announcement, reported by KITV, introduces a roster of officials intended to represent various perspectives and experiences from across the state’s islands.

The leadership structure for the new term includes several key positions designed to manage the House’s legislative agenda. According to reporting from hawaiihousedemocrats.com, the leadership lineup is as follows:

Position	Member
Speaker	Nadine K. Nakamura
Vice Speaker	Linda Ichiyama
Majority Leader	Sean Quinlan
Majority Caucus Leader	Kirstin Kahaloa
Majority Floor Leader	Dee Morikawa

The House also designated several assistant and whip positions to support the majority caucus. These roles include Assistant Majority Floor Leader Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee Loy, along with Majority Whips Lisa Kitagawa, Tina Nakada Grandinetti, and Tyson K. Miyake.

Priorities for the 2027 Session

As the 34th Legislature prepares to convene, the leadership has signaled a focus on the most pressing economic and environmental issues facing Hawaii residents. Nakamura emphasized that the team aims to represent the needs of working families and diverse communities throughout the islands.

“Our leadership team reflects the diversity of our Majority Caucus, bringing together working families, unique perspectives and voices from across the islands to ensure we represent the needs of communities throughout Hawaii,” Nakamura said.

The Speaker specifically identified the high cost of living and the expansion of affordable housing as critical areas of focus for the upcoming term. Additionally, the leadership expressed a commitment to the protection of the ʻāina.

Speaker Nadine Nakamura Announces Hawaii House Leadership for 34th Legislature — Photo: hawaiihousedemocrats.com

The transition to this new leadership team follows a period of historic representation in the House. As noted by hawaiihousedemocrats.com, Nakamura made history on November 6, 2024, becoming the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Hawaii State House of Representatives and the first Asian American woman to serve as a state House Speaker in the United States.

The 2027 Regular Session is scheduled to begin on January 20, 2027. This session will be the first major test for the newly announced leadership team as they attempt to address the complex intersection of housing shortages and the rising costs of daily life for Hawaii’s residents.

“We look forward to building on our work and continuing to address the needs of Hawaii’s families, including tackling the high cost of living, expanding access to affordable housing and protecting our aina,” Nakamura said.