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Senate president outlines 2026 priorities and names committee chairs
Summary
On opening day the Senate president previewed the chamber’s 2026 priorities — wildfire mitigation, food security, housing affordability, energy costs, infrastructure and fiscal stewardship — and named committee chairs who will lead work in those areas.
The Senate president used opening-day remarks to frame the chamber’s priorities for the 2026 session and to announce committee leadership. The remarks emphasized a collaborative, distributed model of leadership and cited wildfire mitigation and productive agriculture as prevention priorities.
The president named Senator Gabbard as chair of Agriculture and Environment to lead efforts on food security and wildfire prevention; Senator Wakai as chair of Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs to address high energy costs; Senator Chang to chair Housing with a focus on continuing funding for pipeline projects; Senator Inouye for Transportation; Senator Keohokalole for Consumer Protection and Commerce; and Donovan Dela Cruz as Ways and Means chair to oversee budgetary decisions. Several other committee assignments and changes were referenced, including transfers to labor and capital improvements responsibilities.
The president highlighted initiatives such as support for locally produced food (including discussion of a central kitchen for the Department of Education), continued investment in housing pipeline funding, attention to interisland transportation and infrastructure, and a continued conservative fiscal stance in the face of recent natural disasters and economic uncertainty.
The speech also acknowledged retiring members and thanked long-serving senators for their service. The president closed by urging cooperation across the chamber and by distributing the list of leadership and standing committee assignments to members.
