Taxation & Estate Planning

Hawaii Approves Civil Unions

By michael

Add Hawaii to the list of states that now allow Civil Unions for all of its citizens:

On Wednesday, Hawaii state legislators approved civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, and Governor Neil Abercrombie vowed to sign it into law. It was approved with an 18-5 vote. The bill allows all couples to enter into a civil union ? a legal status with all the rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities as traditional marriage. A similar bill was passed last year, but then vetoed by then-Governor Linda Lingle.

“I have always believed that civil unions respect our diversity, protect people’s privacy, and reinforce our core values of equality and aloha,” Abercrombie said in a statement. “For me this bill represents equal rights for all the people of Hawaii.”

Full post as published by The Ohio Trust & Estate Blog on February 21, 2011 (boomark / email).