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Colleen Hanabusa on Civil Rights

 

 


Create civil unions for couples who cannot marry

HB 444: Extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser summary:Civil unions accords legal rights to couples whom federal law bars from marriage, a status that comes with federal rights and social conventions as well. It's a matter of basic fairness, ensuring that the state gives couples a clear path to services and protections that otherwise can elude them..

Veto Message: It is essentially marriage by another name. I have been consistent in my opposition to same-gender marriage, but my personal opinion is not the basis for my decision. This decision is of such societal significance that the people of Hawaii deserve the right to directly decide whether the changes contemplated by HB 444 should become law.

Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 18-7-0 on 1/22/10; Sen. Colleen Hanabusa voted YES; Passed House 31-20-0 on 4/29; Vetoed by Gov. Lingle on 6/6.

Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Hawaii voting record HB 444 , Jan 22, 2010

Create civil unions for couples who cannot marry

HB 444: Extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser summary:Civil unions accords legal rights to couples whom federal law bars from marriage, a status that comes with federal rights and social conventions as well. It's a matter of basic fairness, ensuring that the state gives couples a clear path to services and protections that otherwise can elude them..

Veto Message: It is essentially marriage by another name. I have been consistent in my opposition to same-gender marriage, but my personal opinion is not the basis for my decision. This decision is of such societal significance that the people deserve the right to directly decide whether the changes contemplated by HB 444 should become law.

Legislative Outcome:Passed Senate 18-7-0 on 1/22/10; Passed House 31-20-0 on 4/29; Rep. Cynthia Thielen co-sponsored and voted YES; Vetoed on 6/6.

Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Hawaii voting record HB 444 , Jan 22, 2010

Voted YES on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

Congressional Summary:
    Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) to add or expand definitions of several terms used in such Act, including :
  1. "culturally specific services" to mean community-based services that offer culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities;
  2. "personally identifying information" with respect to a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
  3. "underserved populations" as populations that face barriers in accessing and using victim services because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity; and
  4. "youth" to mean a person who is 11 to 24 years old.

Opponent's Argument for voting No (The Week; Huffington Post, and The Atlantic): House Republicans had objected to provisions in the Senate bill that extended VAWA's protections to lesbians, gays, immigrants, and Native Americans. For example, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) voted against the VAWA bill because it was a "politically–motivated, constitutionally-dubious Senate version bent on dividing women into categories by race, transgender politics and sexual preference." The objections can be grouped in two broadly ideological areas--that the law is an unnecessary overreach by the federal government, and that it represents a "feminist" attack on family values. The act's grants have encouraged states to implement "mandatory-arrest" policies, under which police responding to domestic-violence calls are required to make an arrest. These policies were intended to combat the too-common situation in which a victim is intimidated into recanting an abuse accusation. Critics also say VAWA has been subject to waste, fraud, and abuse because of insufficient oversight.

Reference: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act; Bill H.R.11 ; vote number 13-HV055 on Feb 28, 2013

Opposes Amendment to prevent same sex marriage.

Hanabusa opposes the CC survey question on banning same-sex marriage

The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Federal Marriage Amendment to prevent same sex marriage"

Source: Christian Coalition Survey 10-CC-q3 on Aug 11, 2010

Constitutional Amendment for women's equal rights.

Hanabusa signed Equal Rights Amendment for men and women

JOINT RESOLUTION: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to equal rights for men and women. Constitutional Amendment: Prohibits denying or abridging equality of rights under the law by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of 3/4ths of the several States:
  1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
  2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
  3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

[Explanatory note from Wikipedia.com and OnTheIssues.org]:

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time. In 1972, it passed both houses of Congress, but failed to gain ratification before its June 30, 1982 deadline. This new proposed amendment is identical in wording to the original 1972 proposed amendment. It was proposed in Congress in every session from 1923 through 1970 prior to passing in 1972; and has been re-introduced in Congress in every session since 1982 after its failure at ratification. The current version removes the Congressionally imposed deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, so that if the bill passes Congress, states have no deadline as they did in 1982.

Source: HJR69&SJR21 11-HJR69 on Jun 22, 2011

Prohibit sexual-identity discrimination at schools.

Hanabusa signed Student Non-Discrimination Act

Source: HR.998&S.555 11-HR0998 on Mar 10, 2011

Enforce against anti-gay discrimination in public schools.

Hanabusa co-sponsored Student Non-Discrimination Act

Congressional Summary: