A bill that recognizes gay couples with
civil unions will be on Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle's potential veto
list Monday, Lieutenant Governor James “Duke” Aiona announced
Thursday.
Aiona telling Honolulu ABC affiliate
KITV that being on the list does not mean the governor will veto the
bill.
“It will be a potential veto and the
governor right now is crafting her decision as to whether or not she
will or will not veto that bill,” Aiona, who opposes the
legislation, said. “Soon, we will find out.”
Lingle, a Republican, has less than
three weeks to decide whether she'll sign the bill into law or veto
it. Lawmakers approved the law in February, but passage in the House
fell 3 votes short of a veto-proof majority.
At the Republican party's annual state
convention, members called on Lingle to reject the measure. In a
resolution that describes civil unions as “same-sex marriage in
disguise,” Republicans urged the governor to protect marriage as a
heterosexual union.
Lingle is required by law to inform
lawmakers of the bills she's likely to veto, but has until July 6
make a final decision.
Gay activists won their first gay
marriage case in the Hawaii Supreme Court. The case was pivotal,
prompting the federal government to approve the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA), a law that defines marriage as a heterosexual union for
federal agencies, and led to the nation's first voter-approved
constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Activists say they'll return to court
if Lingle vetoes the civil unions bill.