The House Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 232 yesterday to allow civil unions in the Aloha State. The committee added amendments to the bill, which passed in the state Senate last month, that “ensure that the relationships are recognized in the tax code and are under the jurisdiction of family court,” according to the Star Advertiser. If the full House approves the bill, which will give gays and lesbians in registered civil unions the same state-level legal rights as heterosexual married couples (except, of course, the right to use the word “marriage”), it will head back to the Senate for approval with the added amendments. Gov. Neil Abercrombie has already pledged his support to civil unions and is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
