Lawmakers in the Military

The September online issue of State Legislatures highlights the work of Hawaii Rep. K. Mark Takai who recently conducted a survey of state lawmakers serving in the military. Here are the results:

There are 68 legislators who serve in the military. Out of that number, 23 have been deployed while serving in their respective legislatures, or are currently deployed.

Fifteen legislators served on extended activation, which is a period of more than 139 days.

Thirty-four legislatures have at least one member serving in the military. South Carolina leads with 6, Iowa has 5, and Massachusetts and Texas both have 4.

The Army has 44 legislators, the Air Force and Marine Corps both have 8, and the Navy has 7.

Rep. Takai is the Commander of the Medical Company for the Hawaii Army National Guard and is the chairman of the National Network of Legislators in the Military.