Legislative Members

Select Year:

(?)

Senate District 3
Kona, Ka‘ū, Volcano

Room: 206
Phone: 808-586-9385
Fax: 808-586-9391
senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov

In 2018, Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha was elected to the Hawai‘i State Senate to represent Kona and Ka‘ū.

Over the course of three decades, Senator Kanuha has served tireless years as a public servant and advocate for The Betty Kanuha Foundation, Kai ‘Ōpua Canoe Club, Kealakehe High School Waveriders Against Drugs, and other numerous community organizations. Later in Senator Kanuha's political career, he served on the National Association of Counties and Hawai‘i State Association of Counties. In 2012, Senator Kanuha was elected to represent Kona on the Hawai‘i County Council and, thereafter, served two re-elected terms. In 2014, Senator Kanuha was elected by his County Council peers as the first-ever Council Chair from Kona.

With deep roots on the Big Island, Senator Kanuha was born in Kealakekua and raised near the shore in the ahupua‘a of Hōlualoa. Senator Kanuha's father, Jerome Kanuha, a well-known carpenter, has lineage that goes back many generations in the Keōpū ahupua‘a. Senator Kanuha's mother, Debbie Mogel, born in Pennsylvania, moved to Rodondo, California, where she spent most of her childhood before moving to Kona more than 40 years ago. Senator Kanuha has only one sibling, his sister, Lelia Kanuha, one brother-in-law Aaron, and two nephews, Kamoa and Kahana.

Senator Kanuha attended Moku‘aikaua Preschool, Kahakai Elementary, and Kealakehe Intermediate and High Schools. He went on to attend the University of San Diego, earning his degree in Political Science and Business Administration.

EDUCATION

• Mokuaikaua Church Preschool
• Kahakai Elementary School
• Kealakehe Intermediate and High School
• University of San Diego - Political Science, B.A., with a Minor in Business Administration

PUBLIC SERVICE EXPERIENCE

• Member, CSG-West (Council of State Governments, West)
• President, HSAC (Hawaii State Association of Counties)
• Member, WIR Board (Western Interstate Region, an affliate of NACo)
• Member, Board of Directors, NACo (National Association of Counties)
• Volunteer Instructor, children's tennis at the Old Kona Airport
• Volunteer, Kealakehe High School Waveriders Against Drugs
• Kona Representative, Hawai‘i Island Burial Council (2010-2011)
• Member, Board of Directors, Kai ‘O Pua Canoe Club
• Founding Member, The Betty Kanuha Fundation, Inc. (formed in 2001 as a tribute to Dru's Grandmother), a non-profit organization supporting literacy and cultural programs
• Vice Chair, 2011 Hawai‘i County Redistricting Commission

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE

• Majority Leader, 2021-Present, Hawai‘i State Senate
• Majority Caucus Leader, 2018-2021, Hawai‘i State Senate
• Vice Chair of the Committee on Housing, 2018-Present, Hawai‘i State Senate
• Member of the Committee on Ways and Means, 2018-Present, Hawai‘i State Senate
• Chair and Presiding Officer of the County Council, 2014-2016 Hawai‘i County Council
• Chair of the Committee on Public Works and Parks and Recreation, 2012-2014 Hawai‘i County Council
• Vice Chair of the Committee on Environmental Management, 2012-2014 Hawai‘i County Council
• Water and Agricultural Resources, Kamehameha Schools-Land Assets Division, Hawai‘i Island (supporting Kamehameha Schools' Strategic Agricultural Plan)
• Legislative Aide, Judiciary and Labor Committee (Senator Clayton Hee, Chair), Hawai‘i State Legislature

Documents and Links

2025 Newsletters

Summer 2025

Archives

2020 Newsletters

2019 Newsletters

July 2019

2026 Committee Member of

2026 Allowance Report

Expenditure Report

Measures Introduced in 2026

Measure and Title
SB85 RELATING TO PERMITS.
SB86 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB87 RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
SB91 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB92 RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE.
SB103 SD1 RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES.
SB125 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO STATE ENTERPRISE ZONES.
SB126 RELATING TO NEONICOTINOIDS.
SB127 SD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL GRANTS.
SB128 RELATING TO TRESPASS.
SB130 RELATING TO SEARCH AND RESCUE.
SB132 RELATING TO SMALL BUSINESS LOANS.
SB133 SD2 RELATING TO ENERGY.
SB134 RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
SB139 RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES.
SB143 RELATING TO SPECIAL NUMBER PLATES.
SB149 RELATING TO ACCESSIBILITY.
SB151 SD1 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.
SB152 SD1 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.
SB162 RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SB177 SD1 HD1 RELATING TO AQUACULTURE.
SB178 RELATING TO SURFING.
SB221 RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.
SB227 SD1 HD2 RELATING TO FIREWORKS.
SB238 RELATING TO WASTEWATER SYSTEMS.
SB246 RELATING TO CORAL REEFS.
SB294 RELATING TO HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SB297 PROPOSING A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM.
SB298 SD1 HD1 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
SB299 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO LOAN REPAYMENT FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS.
SB327 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO INTERNSHIPS.
SB329 HD1 RELATING TO WATER POLLUTION.
SB341 RELATING TO REIMBURSEMENT OF PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.
SB360 RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.
SB371 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO PROPERTY DAMAGE OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES.
SB376 SD1 RELATING TO TAX CREDITS.
SB377 RELATING TO TAXATION.
SB388 RELATED TO TEACHER LOANS.
SB389 RELATING TO THE GENERAL EXCISE TAX.
SB408 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB409 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
SB415 RELATING TO TRAIL ACCESSIBILITY.
SB420 SD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB422 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB426 SD1 RELATING TO AN EARLY LEARNING APPRENTICESHIP GRANT PROGRAM.
SB434 RELATING TO TREATMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS.
SB440 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB450 SD1 RELATING TO AUTISM.
SB451 SD1 RELATING TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
SB476 RELATING TO FIREWORKS.
SB493 SD1 RELATING TO VETERINARIANS.
SB494 SD2 RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS.
SB497 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB498 SD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SB500 SD1 RELATING TO COFFEE LABELING.
SB501 SD1 RELATING TO CESSPOOLS.
SB504 SD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB505 RELATING TO THE MINIMUM WAGE.
SB506 SD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB507 RELATING TO MEAT PROCESSING.
SB512 RELATING TO FIREFIGHTING.
SB516 RELATING TO LAND USE.
SB522 SD1 RELATING TO THE HALAULA AGRICULTURAL PARCEL.
SB529 SD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB537 RELATING TO ORGANIC WASTE.
SB548 SD1 RELATING TO THE HAWAII INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL.
SB552 SD1 HD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB558 SD2 HD2 RELATING TO VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS.
SB562 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES.
SB563 SD1 RELATING TO WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
SB564 RELATING TO INFRASTRUCTURE.
SB565 SD1 RELATING TO POLOLU VALLEY MANAGEMENT EFFORTS ON HAWAII ISLAND.
SB567 RELATING TO TAXATION.
SB568 RELATING TO FERAL ANIMALS.
SB569 RELATING TO HEALTH.
SB570 RELATING TO GOATS.
SB575 RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS.
SB577 RELATING TO RENTAL HOUSING PROJECT DISASTER RECOVERY PERMITS.
SB584 RELATING TO THE NATURAL ENERGY LABORATORY OF HAWAII AUTHORITY.
SB586 SD1 RELATING TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
SB605 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB606 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS.
SB707 RELATING TO LAVA ZONE INSURANCE.
SB709 SD1 RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH.
SB710 SD1 RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE.
SB715 RELATING TO MEDICAID.
SB760 RELATING TO LAND USE.
SB761 RELATING TO THE NORTH KOHALA KYNNERSLY EAST SITE LAND PARCEL.
SB762 SD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL CRIMES.
SB763 SD2 HD3 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SB764 RELATING TO PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE.
SB768 RELATING TO TAXATION.
SB823 RELATING TO EARLY CHILD INTERVENTION.
SB824 RELATING TO PEER SUPPORT PROGRAMS.
SB835 RELATING TO PUPIL TRANSPORTATION.
SB836 SD1 RELATING TO WATER CATCHMENT SYSTEMS.
SB837 RELATING TO PUPIL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY.
SB838 SD2 RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE.
SB839 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES.
SB840 RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
SB841 SD1 HD1 RELATING TO MARINE LIFE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS.
SB846 RELATING TO EMERGENCY POWERS.
SB847 RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS.
SB848 SD1 RELATING TO DESALINATION.
SB851 RELATING TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
SB860 RELATING TO SHOPLIFTING.
SB864 RELATING TO STUDENT TRANSPORTATION.
SB866 RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
SB867 SD2 RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SB868 RELATING TO THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER CERTIFICATION SUBSIDY PILOT PROGRAM.
SB870 SD1 RELATING TO TELECOMMUNICATION.
SB871 SD1 RELATING TO ARSON.
SB877 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
SB879 RELATING TO TAXATION.
SB880 RELATING TO THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE ON AGING.
SB881 RELATING TO FOOD SECURITY.
SB882 RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
SB883 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB884 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB885 RELATING TO COMMERCE.
SB886 RELATING TO COMMERCE.
SB887 RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.
SB888 RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.
SB889 RELATING TO INSURANCE.
SB890 SD2 HD2 RELATING TO BUSINESS REGULATION.
SB891 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SB892 RELATING TO TOURISM.
SB893 SD1 RELATING TO THE ECONOMY.
SB894 SD3 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB895 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB896 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB898 RELATING TO ENERGY.
SB899 RELATING TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS.
SB900 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT.
SB901 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS.
SB902 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT.
SB903 SD2 HD2 RELATING TO HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS.
SB904 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.
SB905 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB906 RELATING TO HEALTH.
SB907 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
SB908 RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.
SB909 RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION.
SB910 RELATING TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS.
SB911 RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
SB912 RELATING TO HOUSING.
SB913 RELATING TO HOUSING.
SB914 RELATING TO HOUSING.
SB915 RELATING TO CRIME.
SB916 RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY.
SB917 RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
SB918 RELATING TO ETHICS.
SB919 RELATING TO THE PENAL CODE.
SB920 PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION.
SB921 RELATING TO LABOR.
SB922 RELATING TO TECHNOLOGY.
SB923 RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT.
SB924 RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
SB925 RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
SB926 RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS.
SB927 SD2 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.
SB928 RELATING TO CULTURE AND THE ARTS.
SB929 RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.
SB930 RELATING TO WATER.
SB931 RELATING TO LAND.
SB932 RELATING TO HARBORS.
SB936 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT.
SB937 RELATING TO STATE FUNDS.
SB938 SD1 RELATING TO TAXATION.
SB950 RELATING TO TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE.
SB952 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE SERVICES.
SB957 SD1 RELATING TO OVERDOSE PREVENTION.
SB958 SD1 RELATING TO CESSPOOLS.
SB959 RELATING TO HEALTH.
SB995 RELATING TO RENEWABLE FUEL.
SB1000 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB1001 RELATING TO EDUCATION.
SB1002 SD2 HD2 RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SB1003 SD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT.
SB1004 RELATING TO COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.
SB1019 RELATING TO THE OCEAN RECREATION SPECIAL FUND.
SB1022 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO ANIMAL ENDANGERMENT.
SB1127 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS TO ASSIST HAWAII ISLAND COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER.
SB1199 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.
SB1200 SD1 RELATING TO WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SB1203 RELATING TO COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS.
SB1204 RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
SB1229 SD2 HD1 RELATING TO THE DWELLING UNIT REVOLVING FUND.
SB1274 RELATING TO TEACHER WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SB1275 RELATING TO STATE-OWNED HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND INHERITED LANDS.
SB1276 SD1 HD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
SB1277 RELATING TO FINANCIAL LITERACY.
SB1542 RELATING TO AGE VERIFICATION FOR APP DEVELOPERS AND APP STORES ACT.
SB1552 RELATING TO THE PSYCHOLOGY INTERJURISDICTIONAL COMPACT.
SB1553 SD2 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.
SB1603 RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE THIRD SENATORIAL DISTRICT.

Hawai'i State Legislature

Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha (D)

Majority Leader