Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 06:37:34 -1000 From: lambda@aloha.net (Martin Rice) Subject: Hawai`i Action Alerts, Information and Updates #12 Aloha kakahiaka kakou. This will be a short one to get the word about the ACLU's vigil and Senate vote this morning. VANESSA CHONG: SENATE VOTE THIS MORNING (4/21): 11:30AM VIGIL STARTS TUESDAY TRACEY BENNETT: ACTION ALERT UPDATES TOM RAMSEY: WHAT NEXT? JOY FISHER: HB 117 & 118 ALREADY ON THE NET & MORE MARTIN RICE: WEBSITE LOCATION FOR HB 117 & 118 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> VANESSA CHONG: Action alerts vigil start date changed tentatively to tuesday 4/22 pending permit ok. revised flyer attached. please help us get the word out. senate to vote on 118 next monday (session starts 11:30 a.m). would like folks there to hold signs. mahalo for all your kokua! vanessa <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> TRACEY BENNETT: Action Alert update Please forward. Because of the permit process, the ACLU vigil has been postponed til Tues. Call 522-5906 to sign up for a time. Let the legislators know we still care about our rights. The Senate will vote on HB 118, the benefits package, on Monday. Session begins at 11:30 am. Come to the rotunda and get a sign to hold. "Compromise is NOT justice" is the theme. I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and mending. Warmest aloha, Tracey <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> TOM RAMSEY: What Next? THE HAWAII HOUSE AND SENATE COMPROMISE ON SAME-GENDER MARRIAGE On April 16 the posturing ended when House and Senate conferees agreed with a House version of a constitutional amendment (HB 117, after many drafts) giving the Legislature the power to over-turn the court case Baehr v. Miike (if that case should be decided in favor of same-gender marriage). Next stop: first a floor vote by each House and then to the voters in the General Election of November, 1998. The governor has no veto power over proposed constitutional amendments. The conferees also agreed to a weakened Senate version of HB 118, giving about 60 rights to "reciprocal beneficiaries" effective July 1, 1997. The Senate conferees demanded the July 1 date for implementation and traded off health benefits. The compromise bill gives health benefits ONLY to state employees (who declare reciprocal beneficiary status) and ONLY for two years. HB 118 requires the governor's signature. What next? Marriage Project Hawaii will continue to pursue the court case, perhaps to completion within 12 months (and before the November 1998 vote). Same-gender marriage supporters will regroup and reorganize around fighting the Constitutional Amendment vote. For a day or two, we'll lick our wounds first! Best Regards, Tom Ramsey <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> JOY FISHER: HB 117 & 118 already on the net (& more) Hawaiilawyer.com has posted the text of both bills. Since HB 118 is really long, I wanted you to know they're already on the net. I managed to read most of HB 118, but it was so long I got disconnected just before the end and haven't yet been able to print it out, but that's O.K. Joyce and I would rather get married, too, and, like you, I felt betrayed by the Legislature, but after I got a look at HB 118, I felt a little better. It's not fair but it's not chopped liver, either, and we get the benefits right away (or, at least, those of you who are already over there do) while we still have a chance to convince the public to vote against the constitutional amendment. And in the meantime, the Supreme Court decision might come down before the election and that might create a window of opportunity for same gender marriages, and once there have been some and the sky hasn't fallen as a result, maybe the heterosexual public won't be so scared of it. And you know what else, if Hawaii does amend it's constitution to prohibit gay marriages, then maybe the Romer case (the Colorado case the United States Supreme Court ruled on recently) might be pertinent, and Hawaii's constitutional amendment could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court as a violation of federal equal protection law. Who knows--we might end up changing the law of the whole country! Wouldn't Rep. Tom and Pat Robinson and all the rest be astonished by what they have created then? Anyway, I'm glad you are coming out of your blue funk. I am, too, and i'm sure yours was worse, because it's always harder to HEAR the stupid things people say. Joyce and I gave a talk to our local lesbian group about the status of the Hawaii case and the doings of the Legislature last night, and one of the women suggested a boycott. I'll be sure to pass on what you said about that not being a good idea. Have a wonderful time at the family rights weekend. I wish Joyce and I could have flown in for it, but until she sells her house here, we are too strapped for money. However, today we went to an orchid show and she bought me a cymbidium plant for the first anniversary of our "wedding", which was last April 28. She's afraid she won't be able to grow roses in Waimea, so she's decided to learn to grow orchids instead! Have a good trip. I'll miss your e-mails and will look forward to your return. Mahalo for all your work in keeping us up-to-date on what's happening. Joy Fisher <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> MARTIN RICE: Website location for HB 117 & 118 Mahalo to Joy Fisher for the "head's up" report about the text of the bills. The addresses are: http://www.hawaiilawyer.com/hb117cv.txt http://www.hawaiilawyer.com/hb118cv.txt While there you might want to browse the site. There is major archive of Baehr v. Miike nested there. A hui hou, Martin P.S.--Joy is right. 118 is really long (94 pages) plus the committee report. I'm sure glad that I don't have to keyboard that in. It's sitting in my "to do" box, but not for much longer. MAHALO NUI LOA HOU JOY! <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ~~pau~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "You need to take these life-threatening drugs seriously and get them on the market." --Dan "how-I-miss-poking-fun-at-him" Quayle ~~~~~ Fred and Martin 24 years, yet strangers before the law ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~