Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 07:00:03 -1000 From: Frank Cipriano 1995 LEGISLATURE Bills can still be introduced through Friday, although now each legislator is limited to 5 per day. The Senate Judiciary Committee under Rey Graulty will hear SB 888 at 9 a.m., Monday January 30. There is hearsay that SB 888 has the verbal approval of the governor; more importantly, it is sponsored by the Senate President Norman Mizuguchi and Senate Vice-President Mike McCartney. There can be no doubt that the legislature wants to pass this bill quickly. HERMP prefers to keep the present commission going, because they are just hitting their stride and beginning to get much work done. Alas, they've run out of time and Graulty is using this to create a commission that will be more balanced. The fundamentalists did hurt us after all, in kicking the Catholics and Mormons off the commission. This has caused the remaining commission to lose some credibility and Graulty has moved quickly to create an alternative. HERMP debated last night if and how to testify in Monday morning's hearing. Regardless of the merits of SB 888, such hearings are an opportunity to educate the public on all the issues related to same-gender marriage. So, without mentioning SB 888, one could offer genuinely informed testimony in the hopes that the media will pick it up. Two things are sad but almost inevitable: the current commission members are seeing their monumental efforts eclipsed by the new commission (there are no doubt less polite, violent sexual metaphors for what's being done to them). Second, the legislature is giving up any pro-active role in passing a com- prehensive domestic partnership bill this year. This means that, in the midst of a budget crisis, we are depriving the state of several billion dollars of high quality honeymoon business (we don't push this argument except to extremely trusted friends, because it raises the spectre that we'll become the new Sodom and Gomorrah, which Frank Fasi said in public). On the positive side, it's quite possible that Kimura might be named to head the new commission and that some of the old commission members would be re-appointed (no one has even hinted at this, but it could happen). Second, while the legislature is busy designing commissions, they are not busy doing much more dangerous things. PRIORITY ACTIONS: our number one priority is stopping any constitutional amendment. UHPA is now officially with us on that, and HSTA may soon be. WHATEVER UNION CONNECTIONS YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HAVE, WE NEED TO USE THEM NOW. If you have time, you might also write the governor to ask him to a) Conduct the court case in a manner which is consistent with his campaign pledge of full civil rights for gay and lesbian couples b) Designate someone in his administration to handle this issue, so that we're not out-maneuvered by Rey Graulty at every turn c) appoint 4 replacements to the old commission and continue the old commission (although he may already have given Graulty the green light, let him learn that the old commission had public support) Here is a list of pending bills: "KIMURA" BILLS HB 314 (Terrance Tom, by request) This bill is a courtesy to the present Commission on Sexual Orientation and the Law and its chair, Judge Kimura. It extends the life of the present commission and asks for a report for the 1996 legislature. HB 315 (Terrance Tom, by request) This is the same as HB 315, but it also asks for money to run the commission. SB 564 (Rey Graulty, by request) This is the Senate version of HB 314. SB 565 (Rey Graulty, by request) This is the Senate version of HB 315. By request usually means that the legislator who introduced the bill is not really supporting the bill. "NEW COMMISSION" BILLS HB 663 (Terrance Tom) This creates a new Commission on Sexual Orientation and the Law, based upon 7 members. The Senate will propose a list from which the governor chooses 2 names, the House will also propose such a list, and the Governor will name three more members. The Commission is to report to the 1996 legislature. This bill was cooked up by Rey Graulty; he got to the governor before we did and has some verbal approval. More importantly, the Senate version is sponsored by Norman Mizuguchi and Mike McCartney---Senate President and Senate Vice- President. SB 888 (Norman Mizuguchi, Mike McCartney) This is the Senate version of HB 663. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT HB 609 (Emilio Alcon) This bill would amend Hawaii's constitution to specify that marriage is limited to male-female couples. "WILD CARD" BILL SB 689 (Rosalyn Baker) This bill is important only for its title: "Relating to Marriage". If legislative leaders decide sometime in February or in the first week of March to pass some domestic partnership legislation, they will probably amend this bill to do so.