The state House and Senate will open the 2014 legislative session this morning by honoring the past and celebrating the 55th anniversary of statehood.

Hundreds of former lawmakers have been invited to attend the opening-day ceremonies, and each chamber has prepared booklets that document the state’s legislative history.

"You’ve got to be cognizant and reflect on where you came from and what happened before," said Senate President Donna Mercado Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Moanalua-Halawa), who led the effort. "The history is so important, and having that kind of historical knowledge always helps us."

The guest list for the reunion includes Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who served in the state House and Senate; former Gov. George Ariyoshi, who served in the Territorial House of Representatives and the state Senate; and Democratic Party of Hawaii Chairman Dante Carpenter, who served in the state Senate. Honolulu City Councilmembers Carol Fukunaga, Ann Kobayashi and Ron Menor — all former state lawmakers — are also expected to attend.

"Whether you agreed with their politics at the time or not, you cannot dispute the fact that we’re here today because of their efforts," Kim said. "And I think it’s worth acknowledging them."

The House and Senate plan low-key opening-day ceremonies — given that it is the second year of the two-year biennium — and will try to set a workmanlike tone for the 60-day session. Individual lawmakers have the option of hosting receptions for guests in their offices, but the extravagance that used to mark opening day has diminished in recent years.

Debates over the minimum wage, early childhood education, genetically modified crops and state spending are expected to dominate the election-year session.

Carol Taniguchi, the Senate clerk who helped put together the Senate’s booklet, said she thinks it will be exciting to see the former legislators in the same room together. "I think some of them haven’t seen each other for a very long time," she said.

Brian Takeshita, the House clerk, said at least one lawmaker who served during the first state Legislature is expected to attend the House’s ceremony. The House had honored former lawmakers in a similar fashion on the 50th anniversary of statehood.

Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Aliamanu) said he felt honored to assist with the editing and other final touches to the Senate’s booklet.

"As I was looking through the pictures and the names, it was kind of like looking at my own baseball cards as a kid," he said. "I’ve never met most of the individuals that are highlighted in that book, but I’m surely looking forward to meeting some of them. … It’s just such a neat opportunity for us to chronicle the history of Hawaii."

Wakai, like Kim, said it is important to honor former legislators because they spent decades paving the way for a fledgling state established in 1959. "It’s like we’re doing the final interior work on a building they constructed — they had the hard part," he said.

More than 50 former representatives and about 40 past senators are expected to attend, Taniguchi and Takeshita said. In total the booklets, produced in-house, contain 164 past and current senators and 363 past and current representatives.

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Star-Advertiser reporter Derrick DePledge contributed to this report.