From: Mia H H Lam Subject: Hawaii Senate votes this week!!! (fwd) Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 20:19:52 -1000 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 20:07:35 -1000 From: Friends of Marriage Project Hawaii Subject: Hawaii Senate votes this week!!! The full Hawaii Senate will vote this week (March 6 - March 10) on two significant bills: SB3176 and SB2430. SB3176 has survived review by three different committees. 20 (out of 25) senators have ALREADY voted for it at least once while in committee. These senators are listed below; PLEASE THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT AS A WAY TO TOUCH BASE WITH THEM ABOUT THIS WEEK'S VOTE IN THE FULL SENATE. Ask all Senators to support both bills. If you don't know who your senator is, contact FofMPH@hawaii.rr.com or call the Office of Elections at 453-8683. SB3176 is intended to make health (and other) insurance available to reciprocal beneficiary couples when it is already available to one of them. The bill will definitely work for state and county employees in Hawaii and should help considerably with privately employed RB's. SB3176 has had no testimony against it, and so far no senator has voted "no" on it in committee. SB2430 would ban discrimination in housing when it is based upon sexual orientation or family status. Hawaii law already bans such discrimination when it is based upon HIV status. Three people have testified against this bill so far, and one senator (Norman Sakamoto) has voted against it in committee. Norman Sakamoto voted FOR SB3176 in committee, so his perspective on these two bills presents an interesting conundrum for those who live in his district! With best regards, Tom Ramsey President of Friends of Marriage Project Hawaii Senators Who Have Voted "Yes" In Committee For SB3176 CPN---consumer protection committee JDC---judiciary committee WAM---ways and means committee Whitney Anderson (JDC, but "with reservations") Jan Buen (WAM) Avery Chumbley (JDN) (also "yes" on SB2430) Suzanne Chun Oakland (JDC & WAM) (also "yes" on SB2430) Carol Fukunaga (WAM) Colleen Hanabusa (CPN) Marshall Ige (WAM) Les Ihara (JDC) (also "yes" on SB2430) Lorraine Inouye (CPN) Randy Iwase (WAM) Brian Kanno (CPN) Cal Kawamoto (WAM) Andy Levin (WAM) Matt Matsunaga (JDN) (also "yes" on SB2430) David Matsuura (CPN) Bob Nakata (WAM) Norman Sakamoto (JDN) but "no" on SB2430 Rod Tam (WAM) Joe Tanaka (JDN) but "yes, with reservations" on SB2430 Brian Taniguchi (CPN & WAM)