As a Hawaii Family Law Attorney/Lawyer, one legal matter on the horizon that attorneys such as myself will be representing clients on will be regarding civil unions in Hawaii.
With the enactment of Senate Bill 232 into law, the State of Hawaii shall extend the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union.
To be eligible to enter into a civil union, you cannot (1) be a partner in another civil union, (2) a spouse in a marriage, or (3) a party to a reciprocal beneficiary relationship, and you (4) must be at least 18 years old and (5) not related to the other proposed partner in the civil union.
Partners to a civil union lawfully entered into shall have all the same rights as are those who are otherwise legally married pursuant to Hawaii law.
In addition, other states’ same sex-marriages, domestic partnerships or civil unions recognized as civil unions provided they meet the eligibility requirements of this chapter.
The State of Hawaii Dept. of Health shall be the agency to issue civil union licenses.
This law goes into effect January 1, 2012.
Keep in mind the Federal Defense of Marriage Act prescribes that no other state or political subdivision within the United States has to recognize the civil union, as the federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman.