Eight days after his drunken-driving arrest, state House Vice Speaker Jon Riki Karamatsu has been suspended from his leadership position until the Legislature reconvenes in January.

The suspension came after Karamatsu, 32, submitted a letter of resignation on Oct. 19, three days after he lost control of his car and hit a concrete pillar on Moanalua Freeway. He has said he was on his way home from socializing with friends.

The day of his arrest, police said Karamatsu, D-41st (Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele), failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Kalihi police substation, where a Breathalyzer measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.171 — more than twice the .08 limit.

Karamatsu has pledged to regain the trust of his family, friends, colleagues and constituents and offered to resign as vice speaker, but not from the House altogether.

Soon after the House began its special session yesterday, state House Speaker Calvin Say said he would suspend him as vice speaker and the representatives will decide in January what action to take.

"There may be a reorganization and that would be the best time to address this," said Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise).

House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), will take over as vice speaker.

However, Rep. Blake Oshiro, D-33rd ('Aiea, Halawa Valley, 'Aiea Heights), will preside over the special session after Say decided to step down temporarily because of perceived conflict of interest on Superferry issues. Caldwell said he wanted to participate in floor debates, something he would not be able to do if wielding the gavel.

Say's House colleagues said the speaker did not have a conflict, even though his son was one of 249 furloughed Superferry employees.

However, Say said he decided to take a seat among the members anyway because others had concerns about his 23-year-old son being an entry-level account executive for the Superferry. He said in a statement that the controversy was a distraction from the bigger issue of deciding whether to let the ferry resume operations.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.