Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:17:21 -1000 From: Mia H H Lam Subject: ***ACTION ALERT*** (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 12:04:24 -1000 From: Terry L. Hunt Subject: ***ACTION ALERT*** **ACTION ALERT** Date: January 29, 1999 To: Friends of Protect Our Constitution Fr: Amy Sawyer, ACLU Legislative Coordinator Re: Update #2 ISSUE: Domestic Partnership and Marriage BACKGROUND: It is not clear which legislative body (the House or Senate) will take a lead on either the marriage or domestic partnership issue. Information points to the probability that one body will move to fast track a marriage bill (reserving marriage to opposite sex couples) as a back up to the Attorney General's position that current law already prohibits same gender marriage. The fast tracking of a bill can happen very quickly, with little notice on scheduled hearings. There are three bills to date: HB 775 - Introduced by House Judiciary Chair Paul Oshiro. THIS IS THE KEY BILL TO WATCH. This would re-enact the opposite gender limitation to marriage. HB 717- Introduced by Kenny Goodenow. Would remove the status of marriage as a legal incumberance or benefit. Well-intentioned but still problematic. SB 321- Introduced by Les Ihara by request and Suzie Chun Oakland. Short form (a blank bill or vehicle where content can be inserted later). We believe this bill is positioned to serve as a vehicle for a similar marriage ban in Senate. OUR POSITION: The civil rights community is content to see NO LEGISLATIVE ACTION at this point on marriage or domestic partnership. However, once a marriage bill is pushed (which seems to be occuring), we insist legislators MUST then pass a comprehensive domestic partnership bill; one should not pass without the other. This is simply a matter of fairness in civil rights. We need to make this position perfectly clear to legislators. If the Governor submits a domestic partnership bill, as he said he would, we will support it. IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: Please take a moment and call/email/fax House and Senate Judiciary chairs Oshiro, Chumbley and Matsunaga; House Speaker Say, Senate President Mizuguchi and House Policy Committee key Ed Case and express your position. We suggest asking legislators: 1) To leave the marriage/domestic partnership issue alone and get on with other pressing legislative matters; and/or 2) If marriage is limited, insist that in fairness they forward a comprehensive domestic partnership bill. Calvin Say (House Speaker): 586-6100 (tel), 586-6101 (fax) repsay@capitol.hawaii.gov (email) Paul Oshiro (House Jud. Comm. Chair): 586-6360 (tel), 586-6361 (fax) repposhiro@capitol.hawaii.gov (email) Ed Case (Maj. Ldr; House Policy Comm): 586-8475 (tel); 586-8479 (fax)repcase@capitol.hawaii.gov (email) Norman Mizuguchi (Senate Pres.): 586-6870 (tel); 586-6819 (fax)senmizuguchi@capitol.hawaii.gov Matt Matsunaga (Senate Jud. Co-Chair): 586-7100 (tel); 586-7109 (fax) senmatsunaga@capitol.hawaii.gov Avery Chumbley (Senate Jud. Co-Chair): 586-6030 (tel); 586-6031 (fax)senchumbley@capitol.hawaii.gov For more information, link to the Capitol's website for directory of bills, addresses of politicians and list of committees at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov