HONOLULU — Hawaiians will be granted civil unions if the governor signs a bill that was approved by the House and Senate.

The House voted 32-20 late Thursday to approve HB 444, following on the heels of the Senate, which approved the bill in January.

Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, has not declared whether she will sign or veto the bill that would legalize civil unions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Lingle could also allow it to become law without her signature after 45 days.

Gay and lesbian couples as well as straight couples would be given the same rights and benefits that the state provides to married couples. If it becomes law, Hawaii would become one of six states — California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington — in granting essentially all the rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage.

Five other states permit same-sex marriage -- Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut – along with the District of Columbia.

“Equality Hawaii is proud of the actions taken by the fair-minded majority in the Hawaii State House to pass HB 444,” said Alan Spector, legislative affairs co-chair for Equality Hawaii.

“This bold declaration that all of Hawaii’s families should be treated equally under the law is commendable and long overdue. We thank all those who have worked long and hard in this struggle for equality and urge Governor Lingle to immediately sign this bill into law.”

Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, joined the chorus urging the governor to sign the bill into law.

"In the 1990s, Hawaii began the national conversation about ending gay couples' exclusion from marriage, and was the first to create a legal status to provide some state-level recognition and protections for same-sex couples," he said.

"The legislature's passage of a civil union bill marks a major step forward in Hawaii's journey toward fairness and equality, but falls short of the full security and equal protection that come only with the freedom to marry. In the years since the groundbreaking Hawaii marriage case, the experience of other states such as Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New Jersey - as well as several countries -- has been that civil unions are no substitute for marriage.

"I urge Governor Lingle to swiftly sign House Bill 444 into law, and to Hawaii continuing its journey and finishing the job by ending the denial of marriage," Wolfson said.

Jennifer Pizer, Lambda Lega's marriage project adviser, echoed the mood of civil union supporters.

"There's no denying it's been a bumpy road, but like all arduous journeys, it makes the destination that much sweeter," she said.

Supporters of the bill wearing rainbow-colored lei were overjoyed at the Hawaii Capitol.

"It extends the spirit of aloha and acceptance one step further," Don Bentz told the Associated Press.

Opponents wearing red "iVote" buttons expressed their disappointment.

"Civil unions are a step down the very slippery slope toward legalizing same-sex marriage," Rachel Nakasaki, a Christian who joined other members of religious groups in fighting civil unions, told the AP.

Opponents also vowed to take out their anger at the polls.

"It's not the end of the game," Dennis Arakaki, executive director of the Hawai'i Family Forum and the Hawai'i Catholic Conference, told the Honolulu Advertiser. "We still don't know what the governor's position is. That's the unknown. We're focusing on one person."

The issue was all but dead in Hawaii, but was resurrected on the last day of this year's legislative session.

"I'm absolutely stunned," supporter Michael Golojuch Jr. told AP. "It has given me faith in the legislative process. They did what's right. I'm trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible."

“The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) congratulates the Hawaii House of Representatives for recognizing that all families in Hawaii need the same protections,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the HRC.

“We have been a partner with advocates for equality in the Aloha State for decades and today we celebrate this victory with them. We strongly urge Governor Lingle to sign this bill into law to protect all Hawaii’s families.”

The HRC has worked closely with Equality Hawaii since 2008 to build both public and legislative support for HB 444. Through this joint effort, thousands of phone calls, emails, postcards and handwritten letters have been generated urging legislators to approve this legislation. HRC and Equality Hawaii are launching action alerts to our members in the state encouraging them to urge the Governor to sign the bill.

More on HRC’s work in Hawaii is at www.hrcbackstory.org/category/states/hawaii/.