Sam Slom

Sam Slom
Member of the Hawaii Senate from the 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 1996
Personal details
Born	(1942-04-13) April 13, 1942 Allentown, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Divorced
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Jewish

Samuel Morgan "Sam" Slom (born April 13, 1942) is the Republican member of the Hawaii Senate. Since 1996, he has represented the 9th District, which includes Hawaii Kai, Aina Haina, Kahala and Diamond Head on the island of Oahu. As the sole Republican senator, he is the senate minority leader and floor leader of the Hawaiian Senate. He also serves on all 16 Senate committees and on every special committee and subcommittee. He is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Slom is the president and executive director of Smart Business Hawaii.

Career

Slom is the sole Republican in the 25-member Senate since it reconvened after the 2010 elections and is, therefore, minority leader. Slom technically serves on all sixteen Senate committees but obviously he cannot physically attend all of the meetings. He must depend on a Democratic colleague to second a motion that he makes on the Senate floor or the motion will die for lack of a second. Lynn Finnegan, an outgoing Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives who ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, describes Slom's challenge as communicating with Republican constituents across the state who will pressure Democratic lawmakers to consider alternative proposals on some issues.

A second Republican senator, Fred Hemmings, did not seek reelection in 2010 and was replaced by a Democrat. No other U.S. state's legislative body has just one member of the minority party, although the Council of the District of Columbia has only Democrats and independents.

Slom has been vocal against conspiracy theories regarding President Obama's birth certificate. Slom asserted that Obama was born in Hawaii, but was withholding his birth certificate because he was reluctant to share the real identity of his father. When interviewed by Byron York, Slom said that he had worked with Madelyn Dunham at the Bank of Hawaii, and had met the then teen-aged Obama. He also said he had known Neil Abercrombie when Abercrombie was demonstrating for the Students for a Democratic Society and Slom was demonstrating for the Young Americans for Freedom during the Vietnam War; Slom said he could not understand why Abercrombie was trying to release Obama's long-form birth certificate.

Education

Slom received an LL.B from La Salle Law School in 1966 and a BA in Government/Economics from the University of Hawaii in 1963.

Political experience and activities

Slom holds the following positions in the Hawaii State Senate:

• Senate Minority Leader, Hawaii State Senate, 2010–present
• Minority Floor Leader, Hawaii State Senate, 1996–present
• Senator, Hawaii State Senate, 1996–present
• Vice Chairman, Senate Committee for Economic Development and Technology

Current legislative committees and subcommittees

Slom is a member of the following committees:

• Agriculture, Member
• Commerce and Consumer Protection, Member
• Economic Development and Technology, Vice Chair
• Education, Member
• Energy and Environment, Member
• Hawaiian Affairs, Member
• Health, Member
• Higher Education, Member
• Human Services, Member
• Judiciary and Labor, Member
• Public Safety and Military Affairs, Member
• Technology and the Arts, Member
• Tourism and Government Operations, Member
• Transportation and International Affairs, Member
• Water and Land, Member
• Ways and Means, Member

Slom is a member of the following subcommittee:

• Joint House and Senate Committee for Hawaii Health Connector Oversight, Member

External links

• Hawaii Senate Minority official website
• Hawaii State Legislature - Senator Sam Slom official government site