The 78-member State Center Committee (SCC) of the Hawaii
Democratic Party has unanimously approved a resolution calling on
state lawmakers to approve a gay marriage bill during a special
session.
“The Democratic Party of Hawaii calls upon the Legislature to
pass marriage equality legislation immediately at a properly convened
special session,” the
resolution reads.
Hawaii Democratic Party Chair Dante Carpenter said that the SCC's
statement “constitutes the official position of the Democratic
Party of Hawaii.”
The resolution was announced on the same day that Democratic
Governor Neil Abercrombie met with lawmakers to discuss a marriage
bill drafted by his office. Supporters had hoped that Abercrombie
would announce that he was calling for a special session to approve
the measure.
“There's nothing being dragged out. We're doing due diligence
and deliberation on a bill that's been presented to the caucus for
the first time. There's all kinds of versions out there, until one
actually gets in front of them that's what counts,” Abercrombie
told supporters at a rally at the State Capitol.
Democratic leaders in the House are surveying members for support,
while Senate leaders say they have the votes needed to approve the
marriage bill.
A two-thirds majority of lawmakers is needed to call a special
session. Despite holding overwhelming majorities in both legislative
chambers, Democrats cannot meet the threshold by themselves and are
therefore relying on Abercrombie to call a special session.
Hawaii is one of four states which recognize the relationships of
gay and lesbian couples with civil unions. The other three are
Colorado, Illinois and New Jersey.
Backers say the fall of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June
has made passage of a marriage bill critical since the federal
government will not recognize civil unions.
(Related: Hawaiian
bishop calls gay marriage the devil's handiwork.)