HONOLULU — It's now law in Hawaii that the government can ignore repetitive requests for President Obama's birth certificate.

Republican Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law Wednesday a bill allowing state government agencies not to respond to follow-up requests for information if they determine that the subsequent request is duplicative or substantially similar to a previous request.

The law is aimed at so-called "birthers," who claim Obama is ineligible to be president. They contend he was born outside the United States.

Lingle didn't elaborate on her reasons for signing the bill, but Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino previously has issued statements saying that she's seen vital records that prove Obama is a natural-born American citizen.

The bill is SB2937.