 Both the statute and the constitutional amendment were passed around the same time as the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA; ) was enacted into law by the United States Congress.Bills creating "civil unions" () were considered several times, but failed to receive approval in legislative committees before 2009.In 2010, "Hawaii House Bill 444 (HB 444)", which would have created civil unions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples, passed the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Hawaii Senate.