Civil Unions Bill Stopped!

The Hawaii State Senate failed to pull HB 444 out of Judiciary and Government Affairs (JGO) committee yesterday (March 25) after a floor debate that lasted for more than an hour. HB 444 would have allowed "Civil Unions" between gay couples to have the same benefits as traditionally married couples. Hawaii is one of the states that mandates marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

HB 444 is locked in the JGO committee after a 3 to 3 deadlock vote essentially killed the bill this session.

State Senator Gary Hooser led the charge to usurp the legislative process by trying to get 9 other senators to vote with him on pulling the bill out of committee yesterday. Only 5 other senators voted with Hooser to trump to process. Including Senator Hooser, the 5 other senators in favor of pulling the bill were Les Ihara, Suzanne Chun-Oakland, Carol Fukunaga, Roz Baker and Michelle Kidani. These 6 Senators are all supporters of "civil unions".

Eighteen other senators voted not to pull the bill out of committee. Most of them voting in the "no" column supported the merits of HB444 but did not want to see the legislative process compromised.

State Senator Sam Slom, an opponent of HB 444 pointed out that the bill received a fair hearing at JGO where both sides got to express their views at an 18-hour long hearing on February 24.

Yesterday's vote was a victory for everyone who supports traditional marriage between a man and a woman without having it be clouded by legalisms of "civil unions". After all, 70% of the voting public approved a constitutional amendment in 1998 that required the legislature to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Hundreds of red shirted opponents of HB 444 filled the senate gallery yesterday (see top photo) to watch how this crucial vote went down. They broke out in thunderous applause after the vote was taken and the bill defeated.

Civil union supporters vow to keep the fight going. Like a bad penny this issue will rear its ugly head next year or in future sessions. There is even a remote possibility that HB 444 could be revived once again using the same process demonstrated yesterday.

In the meantime all of the opponents of HB 444 and those who value traditional marriage should remain galvanized and remember those senators and representatives who voted in favor of this bill. The next election is a mere 18+ months away. Supporters of traditional marriage have another chance to throw some if not all of these liberal rascals out and get candidates elected that share our traditional values.

Additional Links

• HB 444 Status
• Civil Unions Bill Stuck, Likely Dead, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
• Isle Gay Rights Advocates Dealt Setback, Honolulu Advertiser
• Civil Union Legislation Dies in State Senate, HawaiiReporter.com
• Environmental Impact Statement for House Bill 444?, HawaiiReporter.com
• Recall of Civil Unions Bill Fails, KHON TV 2
• Photos of HB 444 Rallies, Supporters, Opponents @ State Capitol

Senator Hooser tries to persuade senators to pull HB 444. The session was shown on live TV.


Sign wavers outside the State Capitol yesterday.