Following the overthrow and fall of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i in 1894 this Legislature became the legislative body of the briefly established Republic of Hawaii, and shortly afterwards under the newly organized Territory of Hawaii following the annexation by the United States in 1898.

Article III, Section 10 of the Hawaii Constitution states that the legislature must convene annually in regular session at 10 a.m. on the third Wednesday in January.

At the end of the biennium, however, all bills that did not pass the legislature die; to be considered again they must be reintroduced in the new session.

An exception to this rule is that in the year of the first general election following district changes, but prior to the primary election, an incumbent senator may move to a new district without being disqualified from completing the remainder of the incumbent senator's term.

The Legislature has the option of calling a special session on the forty-fifth day to vote to override any of the vetoed bills.

(This system stands in contrast to the pocket veto power held by the president at the federal level.)

[4] During this time, the Capitol was renovated to meet growing technological needs and improved accessibility for disabled people.