Governor to Sign Civil Union Bill Next Week

By Wendy Osher

Gov. Neil Abercrombie. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Hawaii will become the seventh location in the nation to allow civil unions when Governor Neil Abercrombie signs the measure into law next week.

Gov. Abercrombie plans to legalize civil unions during a bill signing of Senate bill 232 on Thursday, February 24th at Washington Place.

The Governor’s signature is the final step in the movement of the bill toward becoming law after the state senate voted 18-5 in favor of the measure earlier this week.

Upon passage of the bill in state legislature, Gov. Abercrombie said he has always believed that civil unions respect diversity, protect privacy, and reinforce core values of equality. He said for him, the bill represents equal rights for all the people of Hawaii.

Under the Civil Unions bill, the same rights and responsibilities extended to legally married couples would also be extended to same sex couples in the state.

This bill signing ceremony will be streamed live on the Governor’s website at http://hawaii.gov/gov.