Hawaii's
house of representatives passed a civil unions bill Friday
by a 33-17 vote. If passed by the state senate, it
would allow same-sex couples access to a legal union
in the state. The unions would offer the couples the
same state rights and benefits afforded to married couples.
Upon receiving
the news that the civil union bill was passed by the
house, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese
expressed HRC's support in a press
release, stating, "Human Rights Campaign
congratulates Hawaii's house of representatives for
recognizing that all couples and all families deserve
basic rights and protections. This legislation is
simply about moving closer to equality for all residents
of Hawaii."
The bill now
moves to the senate.
Hawaii currently
allows gay couples to enter into reciprocal beneficiary
relationships and receive limited rights and benefits, but
the state offers nothing equivalent to marriage.
(Shannon Connolly, Advocate.com)
