On January 1, 2012, the Hawaii State Civil Unions Act (S.B. No 232; Act 1) will take effect and will make same and opposite sex couples eligible for civil unions in Hawaii.  Act 1 will give civil union couples legal rights to similar benefits received by married couples.  Please note, however, that Federal law does not recognize civil unions, thus, benefits mandated by Federal laws will remain unchanged.

As defined under S.B. No. 232/Act 1, a “Civil Union” is a union between two individuals established pursuant to S.B. No. 232, and a “Partner” means an individual who is a party to a civil union established pursuant to S.B. No. 232.

In compliance with Act 1, the RCUH will be updating its benefit policies accordingly.   We expect that the following RCUH benefit policies will need to be updated beginning January 1, 2012; however, we are currently awaiting final regulations from the State, which have not yet been released:

1.)  Policy #3.520 Health (Medical & Dental) Plans

2.)  Policy #3.660 Family Leave

3.)  Policy #3.670 Bereavement Leave

4.)  Policy #3.678 Administrative Leave for Parent – Teacher Conference

The RCUH will provide additional details about the changes to these policies after we obtain the final regulations that pertain to the Civil Unions Act (Act 1) and related State laws.  For more information regarding Act 1, please visit the www.hawaii.gov.