Senate passes HB444, civil unions bill still has long way to go

CORRECTION: A floor amendment to address a flaw in the bill to change the date from January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2011 failed to pass. The Hawaii Independent apologizes for the error.

HONOLULU—Legislation carried over from the previous year’s session that would recognize civil unions in Hawaii, House Bill 444, passed a Senate floor vote today with 18 ayes and 7 noes.

The bill extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union. By establishing the status of civil unions in Hawaii, the bill states, it is not the Legislature’s intent to revise the definition or eligibility requirements of marriage under chapter 572, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

A Senate Floor amendment that would have changed the date that House Bill 444 would take effect from January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2011 failed a Senate vote.

House Bill 444 will now be scheduled to be heard on the House Floor. If the House does not agree with the Senate draft, then the bill will move to conference committee where both the House and Senate committees will try to come up with a compromise. If a compromise is reached, House Bill 444 would then need a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate.

The House majority will meet next week to decide on how to proceed. House Speaker Calvin Say told The Honolulu Advertiser that he would recommend that the House not attempt to address a technical flaw in the Senate version and decide simply whether to send the bill to the governor.

Votes in favor of the bill in today’s Senate vote were cast by Sen. Rosalyn Baker, Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, Sen. J. Kalani English, Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Sen. Brickwood Galuteria, Sen. Josh Green, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, Sen. Clayton Hee, Sen. Gary Hooser, Sen. David Ige, Sen. Les Ihara, Sen. Michelle Kidani, Sen. Russell Kokubun, Sen. Clarence Nishihara, Sen. Dwight Takamine, Sen. Brian Taniguchi, Sen. Jill Tokuda, and Sen. Shan Tsusui.

Votes against the bill were cast by Sen. Rober Bunda, Sen. Will Espero, Sen. Mike Gabbard, Sen. Fred Hemmings, Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, Sen. Norman Sakamoto, and Sen. Sam Slom.