A small craft crosses in front of Hilo town on the island of Hawaii
Lorraine Inouye headshot

Lorraine Inouye

Democrat, State Senate
District 1, Hawaiʻi
Time in office:
  • Senate: 1998-2008
  • Senate: 2014-present

General Contact Info

Bio

Lorraine Inouye represents Hilo, Pauka‘a, Papaikou and Pepe‘ekeo. She was on the Hawai‘i County Council from 1984 to 1990 and then was Hawaiʻi County mayor from 1990 to 1992. Inouye first served in the state Senate from 1998 to 2008 then was reelected in 2014. She is currently majority whip and chair of the Water and Land Committee. Affordable housing is a top priority for her and her district.

A graduate of Hilo High School, Inouye is a lifetime member of the the Girl Scouts of America. She has served with the Waimea Outdoor Circle, the Paniolo Preservation Society and the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce.

Leader Badges

Bill Activity

0

Of 96 bills:
7 Passed
88 Failed
1 Pending

For this session year, this legislator initiated 96 bills: 7 passed, 88 failed, and 1 are currently pending.

Alignment Meter

See all-time percentage of this legislator’s alignment with any organization based on total votes.

xx% votes: xx

Financials

This feature tracks sources of money intended to help a candidate win election.

Election

This display shows money given directly to the incumbent’s campaign committee (NOTE: The industry categories for donors come from Open Secrets, a nonpartisan research organization for campaign finance. Some contributions are “uncoded,” meaning they have not been assigned to an industry sector. As a result, the total for each sector is also an estimate).

Agriculture

$8.0K

Candidate Contributions

$4.5K

Communications & Electronics

$2.8K

Construction

$8.5K

Energy & Natural Resources

$2.4K

Finance, Insurance & Real Estate

$11.3K

General Business

$8.3K

Ideology/Single Issue

$500.0

Labor

$18.5K

Lawyers & Lobbyists

$2.5K

Transportation

$7.8K

Uncoded

$57.9K

Candidate Donations

Individuals, corporations, organizations and committees are limited to a maximum donation to candidates of $4000 for the Senate and $2000 for the house.

Total
$132.8K

145.0% higher than the average legislators

Independent Expenditures

Money from Independent Expenditure Committees (IEC) for advertising or grassroots activity targeting a candidates run for office is unlimited, but it cannot be spent in coordination with the candidate or the candidate's campaign.

Total
$723.0

32.0% higher than the average legislators

Grand Total for Elections

$133.5K

151.0% higher than the average legislators

This is a total of the money targeting this legislator's campaign(s) including direct donations to the candidate, money spent by Independent Expenditure Committees and money from political parties.


Influence

There are two categories of donations to legislators after they are elected that encourage a working relationship between the donor and the legislator. The categories are: 1-Gifts, 2-Travel.

Giver
Value
Date
Description
Hawaii State Energy Office $545 Jun 20, 2017 Registration for VERGE Hawai'i Conference in Hawai'i

Gifts

For gifts that are allowed, legislators must file an annual gifts disclosure statement with the Hawai'i State Ethics Commission if they or their spouse or dependent child receive from a single source one or multiple gifts and the whole aggregate value exceeds $200.

Gift Received Rating
#3/76

This legislator is ranked 3rd highest for the amount of personal gifts received.

Policy

Bills Authored by Lorraine Inouye

SB 3215
DOT; Harbor Safety; Mooring; Commercial Docks; Labor; Act 236, SLH 2024; Sunset Date; Repeal

Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Labor and Technology

Passed
DOT; Harbor Safety; Mooring; Commercial Docks; Labor; Act 236, SLH 2024; Sunset Date; Repeal Committee: Senate Standing Committee on Labor and Technology
View All Bills

Hearings

Featured Comments

Below are links to the video and transcript of recent, substantive comments by this legislator in committee hearings or floor sessions.

Preview image for SB 2400 2MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 2400

Transportation; Hawaii Water Carrier Act; Wing-in-ground Craft; Seagliders; Passengers; Exemption

Preview image for SB 2001 2MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 2001

HCDA; Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency; Banyan Drive Community Development District; New...

Preview image for SB 2694 3MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 2694

PUC; Water Carriers; Tariffs; Water Carrier Inflationary Cost Index; Automatic Adjustment Mechanism;...

Preview image for SB 2694 23MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 2694

PUC; Water Carriers; Tariffs; Water Carrier Inflationary Cost Index; Automatic Adjustment Mechanism;...

Preview image for SB 3215 1MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 3215

DOT; Harbor Safety; Mooring; Commercial Docks; Labor; Act 236, SLH 2024; Sunset...

Preview image for SB 3215 1MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 3215

DOT; Harbor Safety; Mooring; Commercial Docks; Labor; Act 236, SLH 2024; Sunset...

Preview image for SB 2400 53SEC
May 1, 2026

SB 2400

Transportation; Hawaii Water Carrier Act; Wing-in-ground Craft; Seagliders; Passengers; Exemption

Preview image for SB 3215 5MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 3215

DOT; Harbor Safety; Mooring; Commercial Docks; Labor; Act 236, SLH 2024; Sunset...

Preview image for SB 3215 1MIN
May 1, 2026

SB 3215

DOT; Harbor Safety; Mooring; Commercial Docks; Labor; Act 236, SLH 2024; Sunset...

Preview image for SB 2697 4MIN
Apr 28, 2026

SB 2697

DOT; Counties; Motor Vehicles; Shoulder Lanes; Registration; Expired Registration; Out-of-state Motor Vehicles;...

Preview image for SB 2001 3MIN
Mar 5, 2026

SB 2001

HCDA; Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency; Banyan Drive Community Development District; New...

Preview image for SB 2001 16MIN
Feb 19, 2026

SB 2001

HCDA; Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency; Banyan Drive Community Development District; New...

View All Hearings

District

State Senate District 1

Previous Election (2022):

Inouye, Lorraine Rodero
67.4%
WON
Tupai, Helen C.
27.6%

Census Data

Median age 0 10 20 30 40

Median age