State Sen. Shan S. Tsutsui from Maui has been re-elected president of the state Senate.
The body acted quickly to organize itself after Tuesday's election with a goal of promoting an environment of shared leadership and authority, a news release about the Senate's organization said Wednesday night.
Most of the leadership and committee chairs remained unchanged from the last session, though additional standing committees were established "to provide greater scrutiny" over important areas, the news release said.
Maui state Sen. Roz Baker will chair the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.
Maui state Sen. J. Kalani English will head the Transportation and International Affairs Committee.
"The Senate would like to buck the trend across the country of faction-based and partisan politics, which has too often delayed or stalled progress on important initiatives," Tsutsui said. "By sharing the power amongst more senators, we hope to foster a more cooperative institution that can focus on and work toward the resolution of our most pressing issues."
The 27th state legislative session will convene Jan. 16.
