Hawaii Senate Bill 232
Hawaii Senate Bill 232 is a 2011 law which legalizes state recognition of civil unions in the state after January 1, 2012. Initiated in the Hawaii Senate and substantively similar to 2010's Hawaii House Bill 444, which was vetoed by then-Governor Linda Lingle. SB232 was backed by her successor, Neil Abercrombie.
| Senate Bill 232 | |
|---|---|
| Hawaii State Legislature | |
Long title
| |
| Citation | Act 1, Regular Session, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011 |
| Territorial extent | State of Hawaii |
| Passed by | Hawaii State Legislature |
| Passed | February 16, 2011 |
| Signed by | Governor Neil Abercrombie |
| Signed | February 23, 2011 |
| Commenced | January 1, 2012 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill title | SB232 |
| Bill citation | Senate Bill No. 232 |
| Introduced by | Brickwood Galuteria |
| Committee report | House Standing Committee Report No. 156 |
| Summary | |
| Extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union. | |
| Status: In force | |
| Baehr v. Lewin (1993) Baehr v. Miike (1996, 1999) Constitutional Amendment 2 (1998) House Bill 444 (2009) Senate Bill 232 (2011) Hawaii Marriage Equality Act (2013) |
| Equality Hawaii |
| LGBT rights in the United States Same-sex marriage in Hawaii Reciprocal beneficiary relationships in Hawaii LGBT history in Hawaii |
| LGBT Portal |
The bill was passed on January 26, 2011, by the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee in a 3–2 vote and was passed by the full Senate 19-6 on January 28. A modification to the bill was then made in the House of Representatives before passage on February 11 by a vote of 31–19,; the Senate passed the modified bill on February 16 by a vote of 18–5.
Abercrombie's office confirmed after the passage of the bill by the Legislature that he would sign the bill within 10 legislative days of the passage, and the bill was signed into law as Act 1 on February 23.
The Hawaii Civil Union Act 2011 is still in force, despite Hawaii providing same-sex marriages since December 2, 2013, under the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act 2013.