Come Jan. 20, Hawaii's imprint on the national political scene will become more pronounced than at any other time in state history.

But Barack Obama's swearing in as the nation's 44th president is only part of the ascendance of Hawaii in national politics.

This year also marks the start of Hawaii senior U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye's tenure as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

While no one is suggesting having two native sons in such prominent roles would amount to preferential treatment for Hawaii, it could be beneficial.

University of Hawaii political scientist Neal Milner notes that much of the talk surrounding Obama's proposed economic stimulus package has warned lawmakers against “;pork-barrel”; spending and inclusion of their pet projects.

“;That said, what's somebody's pork is somebody else's essential,”; Milner said. “;Maybe at some level, having people in there from Hawaii to define things as part of the stimulus package might actually pay off.”;

Any stimulus package will go hand in hand with helping states, including Hawaii, out of the economic doldrums.

As the global financial crises from 2008 follow us into the new year, it promises to be the most challenging yet for lawmakers and Gov. Linda Lingle, who is entering the back half of her final term in office.

“;The world has changed, and our fiscal situation has changed dramatically,”; Lingle said recently. “;And that means it simply can't be business as usual.”;

Whether Republicans and Democrats - who have more seats in the Legislature than at any time during Lingle's administration - can set aside partisanship and work together will be key to getting through the economic downturn.

Similar promises of cooperation have been made in the past, but never against such a bleak economic backdrop.

“;I think it will happen,”; Milner said. “;I think there's a consensus that something like infrastructure spending ... has got to happen. The devil's really in the details.

“;There will be more cooperation, but it's also possible that the financial situation will get worse and we'll have less revenues to deal with.”;

Lawmakers should know early on what the state's financial picture will be. The state Council on Revenues, which sets the revenue estimate used by lawmakers in crafting the state budget, meets Jan. 9 to issue its next quarterly forecast.

At a meeting in October, the council predicted that the state would finish the 2009 fiscal year on June 30 with about $50 million less than it started with.

The dismal predictions have lawmakers facing a potential $1 billion budget deficit over the next fiscal biennium unless steep cuts are made this year.

Meanwhile, Hawaii will celebrate 50 years as a state.

Talks on how to commemorate the anniversary began in late 2007, with the formation of a 25-member 50th Anniversary of Hawaii Statehood Commission. The commission has placed an emphasis on educational outreach to students but also has set up public events in March and August to mark the occasion.

For the past few months, the commission has aired ads featuring prominent local personalities discussing the significance of statehood for Hawaii.

The anniversary also has the potential to be divisive. Native Hawaiian sovereignty groups have traditionally used Statehood Day to protest and call attention to their causes.

“;You're not hearing much about what Hawaiian groups are going to do,”; Milner said. “;To me, one of the things to watch is going to be how state officials handle the whole issue ... how they'll try to keep a balance between the recognition and some celebration of statehood while at the same time paying homage to sovereignty. ... How you get that balance is going to be something.”;