The Hawai’i State House passed a bill legalizing civil unions this afternoon, on the last day and nearly the last hour of the session. The State Senate had passed it in January, but it was tabled and thought to be dead for the session when the House refused to bring it up on a voice vote that month.

The bill to legalize same-sex civil unions passed the state House by a 31-20 vote today in the last hours of the 2010 legislative session.
Despite a crowded gallery, there was no reaction from spectators.
HB 444 now goes to Gov. Linda Lingle, who has not said whether she supports or opposes the measure. If Lingle vetoes the bill, House lawmakers would need 34 votes to override.
The long-stalled House Bill 444 was revived by Majority Leader Blake Oshiro. Unlike a previous vote to postpone action on the bill, House leadership allowed for members to have a roll call vote to show where they stood on the issue.

That last was a big deal; when they voted to postpone in January nobody knew who to lobby.
I have to admire Majority Leader (and my district Rep.) Oshiro’s tactics. There was no advance publicity suggesting he was going to do this, so there were no wailing crowds of fundies screeching that the bill’s passage would be the end of marriage as we know it. The television news showed a few gay couples outside the Capitol hugging, but no big mobs.
Now it’s up to our second-term retiring Governor, who’s a moderate Republican. She’s out of town so there’s been no statement from her. One of the guys running for her job is her Lieutenant Governor, and he’s already said “This bill should not be allowed to become law.” Not a surprise; he’s angling for the religious vote and has been for years.