Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 10:54:57 -1000
From: lambda@aloha.net (Martin Rice)
Subject: FLASH--HAWAI`I JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE TALKS COLLAPSE

Aloha kakahiaka kakou.

Again, this was initially filed very early this morning (4am HST).  Back
home now and will try to catch up.


Martin here in Honolulu.

About 2:15am HST, well after the self-imposed deadline of midnight, the
Speaker of the House, Joe Souki, emerged from his office to announce that the
talks aimed at reconciling the differences between the Senate and House
versions of the Constitutional Amendment (HB 117) and the Reciprocal
Beneficiaries Law (HB 118) had collapsed.

He went on to say that the main sticking point was health insurance benefits,
and when those benefits might take place, and to whom they might apply.

Senator Avery Chumbely accused the House of negotiating in bad faith, and
that their logic wasn't rational.

Insiders noted that the language agreed upon for the Constitutional Amendment
was focused on the issuance of marriage licenses, the latest Senate position.
 The House had been pushing for wording that reserved marriage as a union
between one man and one woman.

Both sides declined to state when then next set of meeting were to begin, as
the final deadline for passage of an amendment to the state Constitution is
now April 19th.  The governor is notified if there is a 2/3rds majority at
that time.  The wording must be worked out and agreed upon by the time that
the vote is take.  A simple 51% majority means that the vote for a
Constititional Amendment needs to be passed by a successive Legislative
session.

We're not out of the woods yet, but this is a significant move topping off a
very long day.  I was summoned to Honolulu by my senator who thought that I
should be here for this event.  I will return to Kaua`i tomorrow and file
more from there.

A hui hou,

Martin





  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  "I don't understand your homophobia."
                              --Senator Avery Chumbley
                          ~~~~~
                     Fred and Martin
                        24 years,
                  yet strangers before
                         the law
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~