February 9th, 2010
 

365 Gay: News

Hawaii committee deadlocked on civil union bill

By 365gay Newscenter Staff
02.25.2009 2:39pm EST

(Honolulu, Hawaii) A Senate committee Wednesday was deadlocked on legislation to give same-sex couples in Hawaii all of the rights of marriage, but without the name.

After 15 hours of often emotional testimony on Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary and Government Operations Committee met early Wednesday, voting 3-3.

Senate leaders are now faced with mustering enough votes to take the bill from the committee and move it directly to the Senate floor for a vote. One-third of the Senate, or nine of its 25 members, would have to agree to recall the bill. The earliest that would happen would be March 10.  

“There is no question that the caucus supports passing civil-unions legislation,” said state Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser (D) told the Honolulu Advertiser.

“But there is some concern among members about the process, and not wanting to short-circuit the process in our effort to pass what we think is the right thing to do,” added.

The legislation passed the state House earlier this month on a 33 – 17 vote.

Republican Gov. Linda Lingle has declined to comment on the issue -  if the bill is approved by the Senate it’s unclear whether she would sign or veto the bill.

The measure would legalize civil unions with all of the benefits, protections and responsibilities of marriage.  It also would allow domestic partnerships entered into in other states where they are legal. Marriages from Massachusetts and Connecticut would be regarded as civil unions.

Under the legislation, same-sex couples would have to obtain a license and then have the civil union performed by a judge, a retired judge or a member of the clergy.

In 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court was the first in the country to rule that barring same-sex marriage could be a violation of the state constitutional protection of equal rights.

In 1997, the Legislature passed a domestic partner law allowing gay couples to register with the state Department of Health. It allowed couples to have rights as reciprocal beneficiaries in hospital visitations, inheritance and property, and the ability to sue for wrongful death.

But in 1998 as calls for same-sex marriage increased,  nearly 70 percent of Hawaii voters passed a constitutional amendment giving the legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.


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  • From Hawaii Said: February 25th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    • Its prop 8 all over again. The bigots with the backing of tons of church money are running a fear campaign. They are the enemy.

  • RICK Said: February 25th, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    • OK, EVERYBODY , ARE YOU AS PISSED OFF AS I AM ?? WHY HAS’ENT HAWAII LOOKED INTO HOW MASSACHUSETTS IS DOING WITH MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR GAYS -THERE IS YOUR SHINING EXAMPLE !!

  • TJNV Said: February 25th, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    • Rick I agree with you. They should be looking at Mass, or Con, or even Ca.
      We still have 18,000 legally married same sex couples. They should also look at the several European Contries that have equal marriage rights. Instead of listening to the crying scared Church Lady housewives (and Husbands). Getting Marriage Eqauilty passed by approval by the masses is would be like trying to get the South to vote to end slavery or enact civil rights. When are people, including the legistature going to understand the concept of equal protection under the law? Not to mention separation of Church and State ?

      Tom in Long Beach

  • From Hawaii Said: February 25th, 2009 at 4:40 pm

    • Rick, Hawaii’s politicians are afraid to look at the Massachusetts example. Many were elected by small majorities and they realize that the “will of the majority” or I should say the “stupidity of the masses” is easily influenced by well funded, anti-gay BS. Bottom line, the politicians are more interested in getting re-elected than doing the right thing.

  • Michael Golojuch Jr. Said: February 25th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
  • Michael Golojuch Jr. Said: February 25th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
  • Michael Golojuch Jr. Said: February 25th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
  • G - Toronto Said: February 25th, 2009 at 6:27 pm

    • Hey, don’t forget we have it here in Canada too. And now we have a conservative Prime Minister and the majority of parliament are conservative as well. Guess what? It hasn’t come up to take it away and when the very mention of having it appear in a nationwide referendum came up (suggested by who else, religious right up here), a nation wide poll showed that the majority of Canadians would be royally pissed off their tax dollars were being spent to bring us all out to vote. No one really cares. Hawaii just do it, if they don’t like that people get equal rights, then they should move.

  • Morgan Said: February 25th, 2009 at 6:33 pm

    • No Hawaii for me,just yet.

  • c.m. Said: February 25th, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    • none of this surprises me. i wish i could say otherwise.have any of you here checked out the skeptic annotated bible online?if you take a closer look at all the bible’s factual errors it could change the way you view the book that has ruined so many of our lives.i’m sure you can use some of the stuff on there to irritate those bible bigots the next time they get in your face.some of it will amaze & even shock you. i don’t look at any bible in the same way i did before i got on that site.peace to all.

  • Gerry Fisher Said: February 26th, 2009 at 8:42 am

    • >Rick, Hawaii’s politicians are afraid to look at the Massachusetts example. Many were elected by small majorities and they realize that the “will of the majority” or I should say the “stupidity of the masses” is easily influenced by well funded, anti-gay BS. Bottom line, the politicians are more interested in getting re-elected than doing the right thing.

      For this reason, gay people have to become a political force in local democratic circles. When it became clear to legislators that gay money and volunteerism was leading to the consistent reelection of marriage supporters and the consistent defeat of marriage opponents, we turned the corner here in MA.

      We’re too small a population to win a popular vote. But, with our time, money, passion, and creativity, we can be a *huge* local political force that local politicians don’t want to mess with. Just goes to show ya what some disposable income and “caring” can generate.

  • Gerry Fisher Said: February 26th, 2009 at 8:46 am

    • …and notice the difference between “why won’t those legislators do what they did in MA?” and “why won’t the gay folk in HI organize in the same way we did in MA?”

      It’s about us becoming active in mainstream politics. When we lead, our leaders follow. And nothing makes them want to follow us more than our money or fear of our proven wrath. We have to become a mainstream political power….

      This isn’t as hard as it sounds, because there are soooo few ordinary citizens involved in Democratic organizing and politicking. If you can get 10% of the community out and involved in mainstream political circles, you’ll dominate local politics. There’s a real vaccum there…fill it.

  • Jason21Tx Said: February 27th, 2009 at 2:25 am

    • “It’s about us becoming active in mainstream politics.”

      If anything pisses me off more then the kristian taliban, it is the failure of the gay community, men and women, to find their ‘balls’, get organized, and start to learn about politics. In particular, my friend in baltimore says that while some of the progressive counties have many active gay people involved in politics, in Baltimore city, very few are.

      This is our own personal shame. I’m amazed at what I have learned, and how much fun I have had in the process. This includes directly supporting and influenceing the election of a moderate democrat, vs a right wing, totally greedy religious nut case to the US House.

      And my failure to get active on one of the key asshole christians in the MD Assembly resulted in his getting re-elected in 2006 by a lousy 28 votes. The guy is secretly gay, and is the jerk leader of the religious right in the state govt. I personally could have easily changed 50 or a hundred votes, and sent him packing.

      So I have learned so much. I hope I’ve inspired you to get involved also. Bitching doesn’t get you anywhere – ask my wife (hehe)

  • SteveMD2 Said: February 27th, 2009 at 2:48 am

    • FYI here is the letter I sent to all the people in the HI Senate, as given in Michael Golujack’s letter.

      All I had to do with outlook express was copy past all the email names into the BCC field, separated by semi-colons. I hope you will do the same.

      Dear Senator:
      I am writing to you as a regular visitor to HI, since a have a large number of cousins living there. It is time to begin to end the injustice perpetrated against gay people in America, all based on the total corruption of the meaning of God, and how we are All made in his image.

      Those who condemn gay people do so while so conveniently ignoring the other condemnations found in the bible. Women not a virgin on their wedding day are to be stoned to death. Working on the sabbath means death, Eating swine means death, etc etc. Just a few examples of how superstitions and stone age ignorance are ignored, while selectively keeping the condemnation of our LGBT people. Just as slavery was justified as per the bible, a notion I hope has finally been ended by the election of A black President. A final fitting end to America’s greatest crime.

      And as it has been proven in MA and CT, voting for gay marriage did not cost a single legislator who supported this basic set of rights his seat in the past elections of 04, 06, and 08. Furthermore, while many good people have a problem with “marriage”, seeing it as a religious term while it also, separately covers a legal contract totally separate except in name from religion, they support civil unions instead. Even a majority of Catholics support civil unions, despite their churches ardent opposition. Hardly at all different then the 94% of Catholics who use artificial birth control in spite of the church’s teachings.

      You have the power to make America true to its ideals of equal justice for all, and not being a theocracy, which in extreme forms bred us another day that will live in Infamy, 9/11

  • Equality Hawaii Said: February 27th, 2009 at 3:32 am

    • There are some great comments to this story. I wish the rest of Hawaii felt the same way. Ignorant leaders and certain religious groups have pushed hard to scare the public into thinking this bill is something that it’s not. I hope everyone here in Hawaii and our legislators can see past the bigoted rhetoric and see HB444 for what it really is, a step to address unequal treatment.

 
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