MARRIAGE BAN MOVES TO SENATE : KNIGHT EXPECTS HIS SAME-SEX BILL TO DIE.

Byline: Mark Katches Daily News Sacramento Bureau

Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight failed Monday to persuade Senate Democrats to rescind hostile amendments to his bill banning recognition of gay marriages in California.

Amendments establishing a registry for domestic partners and extending some spousal rights to them remained attached to the bill, which was moved to the Senate floor.

Gov. Pete Wilson has vowed to veto any bill that extends spousal rights to domestic partners.

``They're going to kill the bill one way or another,'' said Knight, R-Palmdale, referring to Senate Democrats.

After the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 7-1 Monday to move the bill to the floor with the poison pill amendments, Knight said he expects California could be recognizing gay marriages performed in Hawaii as early as September.

California has a policy of sanctioning all legal marriages performed in other states, even ones that can't be legally performed here. A court challenge of Hawaii's law banning gay marriages is expected to succeed possibly next month.

``Come September, gay couples are going to go to Hawaii, get married and come back and their marriages will be recognized,'' he said. ``I think it's appalling.''

The bill, AB 1982, would ban the recognition of same-sex marriages in California. That language was left in the bill by the Appropriations Committee. But the committee also left intact amendments added last month by another committee controlled by Democrats that require the California secretary of state to establish a domestic partnership relationship registry. And it would extend to registered partners rights generally reserved for spouses, such as hospital visits and health insurance benefits.

Knight said he still has a slim chance of having the domestic partnership provisions rescinded on the Senate floor, where a tense floor showdown on the emotional issue is expected next week.

Assemblywoman Carol Migden, D-San Francisco, one of two openly gay lawmakers in the Capitol, urged the committee to defeat the bill.

``We want to put an end to this issue now,'' she said. ``We want a final death to this.''

Several gay rights groups have opposed the measure, even with the domestic partnership provisions, because of the language banning same-sex marriages. Although present in the audience, they did not address the panel Monday.

Knight contends that the domestic partnership amendments are designed to provide Senate Democrats with political cover in an election year because the same-sex marriage ban remains part of the bill.

Polls show that Californians and voters nationwide support banning gay marriages, and President Clinton has said he agrees with such a ban.

Before sending the bill to the floor, the Appropriations Committee voted 7-6 to keep the amendments in place.