Senate Passes SB1 20-4

HL: Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 20; Aye(s) with reservations: None. Noes, 4 (Senator(s) Gabbard, Kim, Kouchi, Slom). Excused, 1 (Wakai). Transmitted to House.

read ... SB1 Status

  *   *   *   *   *

YES (20)

Baker (D)
Chun Oakland (D)
Dela Cruz (D)
English (D)
Espero (D)
Galuteria (D)
Green (D)
Hee (D)
Ige (D)
Ihara, Jr. (D)
Kahele (D)
Keith-Agaran (D)
Kidani (D)
Nishihara (D)
Ruderman (D)
Shimabukuro (D)
Solomon (D)
Taniguchi (D)
Thielen (D)
Tokuda (D)

NO (4)

Gabbard (D)
Kouchi (D)
Slom (R)
Mercado Kim (D)

EXCUSED (1)

Wakai (D)*

*Sen. Glenn Wakai missed the vote due to the death of his mother. Wakai had previously said he supports gay marriage.

  *   *   *   *   *

How To Testify: House Committees Will Hear Senate Bill 1 This Thursday

From House Republican Caucus

Thank you to everyone who sent in testimony and attended the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee hearing on Senate Bill 1 yesterday. Despite the confusing process, thousands of concerned citizens submitted testimony and attended the hearing to share their views with the committee. 

After passing a full Senate floor vote today, the bill will next go to a joint hearing by the House Committees on Judiciary and Finance on Thursday. This is your next chance to share your views.

Please see below for information about how to testify, what to expect at the hearing, parking options and a summary of the bill. 
 

Where and when is the House public hearing?

• Thursday, October 31 at 10:00 am House Joint Judiciary/Finance committees, Reps. Rhoads & Luke (Chairs); Hawaii State Capitol Auditorium (basement level). View the hearing notice here.

• In order to be called to testify in person, please submit your written testimony by 10:00 am on Wednesday, October 30. Please note: If you miss this deadline, we strongly encourage you to still submit written testimony.

1. Go to http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/submittestimony.aspx
2. Log in. Register to log in if you are not registered (top right corner)
3. An email with your sequential testimony number will be sent to you at a later time (once they assign it.)
4. Submit your testimony via the legislative website portal at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/submittestimony.aspx 

• You should receive a confirmation email almost immediately.
• If you do NOT receive a sequence number, print out the confirmation email and your testimony and be at the Capitol ready to testify on Thursday, October 31.
• On the day of the hearing, testifiers will be called into the auditorium in groups of 25. Each testifier will have 2 minutes to speak. The committee will not give out "group numbers" like at the Senate hearing, but you can estimate based on your number about when you will testify.

• Your written testimony can be any length; however, short and to-the-point is more effective in general.
• Your verbal testimony will be limited to two minutes. It does not have to be the same as the written testimony and can just highlight important points.
• Written testimony should be properly headed. See the “TESTIMONY HEADERS” box for sample headers for the Senate and House hearings.
• Written testimony should include your name, address, and opposition.
• All testimony is most effective when it is a personal and heartfelt message of how this will affect you, your family, and your community.
• Please indicate:

1. Testifier's name with position/title and organization;
2. The Committee(s) to which the comments are directed;
3. The date and time of the hearing;
4. The measure number; and
5. Whether the testifier will be testifying in person.

• Once you submit written testimony, you should plan to attend the committee hearing. While there is no rule that governs the order of testimony, generally the first to testify are the Governor, State departments and other impacted organizations followed by individuals. Your name will be called when it is your turn. Be prepared to spend several hours waiting.
• Due to the anticipated high number of testifiers, those who submit comments and plan to testify in-person will be assigned a registration number to indicate one's place on the testifier list and speaking order. Please bring this number to the hearing.
• The committee on Judiciary has announced that oral testimony will be limited to 2 minutes. After approximately every 25 testifiers, committee members will be given the opportunity to ask questions of those previous 25 testifiers. It will not be necessary to wait to the end of the hearing to answer questions.

• Legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii and give same-sex married couples the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of opposite-sex married couples, including parentage rights.

• Religious organizations that make a profit by allowing the general public to use their facilities or grounds for marriage ceremonies (This bill does not attempt to explain what would be considered "profit.");
• Small business owners who are asked to personally provide marriage-related services such as planning, food catering, photography, etc.;
• Government employees who would be processing same-sex marriage applications; and
• Judges who are asked to officiate at a same-sex marriage ceremony.

• Religious solemnizers who are licensed by the State to perform marriage ceremonies, including clergy, ministers, priests and rabbis, among others; and
• Religious organizations that do not profit by allowing the general public to use its facilities or grounds for marriage ceremonies and those that merely accept donations from the public, provide religious services to the public, or otherwise allow the public to enter their premises.