State lawmakers met Monday after a special session was called by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to discuss same-sex marriage. Hawaii already has civil unions.
Fourteen states plus the District of Columbia have already legalized same-sex marriage and many more legal battles are taking place in other states, including Nevada, New Mexico and Illinois.
Hawaii brought the subject of same-sex marriage to the national forefront in 1990 that eventually led to the Defense of Marriage Act being passed in 1996.