"I'm a Christian and for that reason specifically I support this bill," explained another testifier.





State officials also testified this morning-- including Loretta Fuddy, the Director of the Department of Health, who says the agency is ready to go if the bill passes.

State Attorney General David Louie spent a considerable amount of time answering questions about state and federal benefits. According to Louie -- under Hawaii's civil unions law, same-sex couples are currently being afforded equal state benefits as heterosexual couples, but not federal benefits. Senators asked for clarification on whether same-sex couples from Hawaii who marry in one of the 14 states where marriage is legal will be afforded those federal benefits if they return to live in Hawaii. Louie testified he can only say with certainty that federal tax benefits will apply to same-sex couples who are married elsewhere and return to Hawaii, but says it's unclear whether other federal benefits such as Medicaid, Social Security and the Family & Medical Leave Act will also apply.

"Those are the kinds of questions that need to be answered and addressed, and of course the concern is even if that was true the barrier of having to travel -- not everyone can afford to travel," said Senator Maile Shimabukuro.

Louie went on to say the best way to ensure Hawaii residents aren't discriminated against is to pass SB1, the "Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013".





"I believe this is a necessary step," Louie concluded.





Later, lawmakers were informed that only three federal benefits would be recognized for same-sex couples who marry elsewhere and return to Hawaii to live.





Sen. Shimabukuro says the discussion today was critical for a better understanding of what's at stake if lawmakers do or don't pass the same-sex marriage bill.





"The HSTA testified in strong support of the measure, I thought that was very interesting to see-- but then there was a teacher from Canada that came and talked about their experiences there where they have legalized same sex marriage and how it's effected the education system. He didn't have a position, but he just talked about how it's really changed their education system, so there's a very thought-provoking debate happening today and I really appreciate all the people that have come to share their mana'o on this very sensitive topic," Shimabukuro said.





Senator Sam Slom still believes a special session is not appropriate, and says the issue has evolved from a civil rights concern to a question of benefits.





"I asked Attorney General Louie -- does the Congress have the power to change the laws and change these benefits? And the answer is yes. We talked about this with reciprocal beneficiaries under civil unions. If there's an area that needs changing, if something has been overlooked -- then let's adopt and change that. Let's pinpoint where the problems are. The problem is not having same-sex marriage overall, you see how divided the testimony is. You see how divided the community is," Sen. Slom said.





Kimberly Allen says the federal benefits in question are crucial.





"I lost my wife in 2010 to cancer and there were many difficulties we went through, not only because she had cancer, but also because we were not afforded the same protections that legally married couples are afforded, such as family medical leave," explained Allen, who teared up talking about her struggle to obtain some of her late wife's ashes.





Advocates say marriage is a civil right gay couples are being denied.