HONOLULU — A Hawaii state legislator is saying he will offer a constitutional amendment that would ask voters to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Democratic Rep. John Mizuno of Alewa Heights said Tuesday he also will propose legislation to expand the state’s current reciprocal benefits law. The bill would allow same-gender couples to jointly file state income tax returns and receive some state worker retirement benefits.
Mizuno says his constitutional amendment may conflict with a civil unions measure now pending in the Senate. It would grant to unmarried same- and opposite-gender couples all the rights and benefits the state provides to married couples.
The civil unions bill may be considered on the state Senate floor on Friday.