Civil Unions in Hawai'i are closer

From the AP via NPR:

A bill allowing same-sex civil unions that prompted some of Hawaii's biggest protests is headed to the governor after the state House of Representatives gave it final legislative approval Thursday.....

The measure would grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights and benefits that the state provides to married couples. If approved, Hawaii will become one of six states - along with California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington - to grant essentially all the rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage itself.