Domestic partnership bill passes legislature; heads to Gregoire for signature

OLYMPIA – The Senate passed legislation expanding rights and responsibilities to registered domestic partners — creating a new level of financial security and equity for Washington families. The measure passed the Senate Tuesday evening 29-20.

Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, the author of the original legislation that created the state domestic partnership program in 2007, said “lesbian and gay families lack financial security, because we lack the basic protections that married couples are provided. We sent this bill to the governor’s desk today as an important step in giving financial equality and fairness to loving families.”

Sen. Joe McDermott, D-Seattle, led remarks for passage of the bill on the Senate floor.

"Domestic partners still lack the vast majority of the protections that married couples take for granted in Washington. House Bill 3104 is the next step in addressing that injustice. From the Palouse to Alki Point and beyond, this legislation provides real relief and real benefit to couples across the state," McDermott said.

Since July, 2007, when the domestic partnership laws became effective, more than 3500 couples have registered from every legislative district in the state. Nearly ten percent of the couples are different-sex senior citizen couples.

House Bill 3104, the House counterpart to Murray’s legislation, provides domestic partners with end-of-life rights and legal protections including provisions on nursing home visits, veteran’s benefits and spousal testimonial privileges — protections that married couples already have. The legislation also mandates that spouses of partners who are elected officials file the same public disclosure documents that same-sex spouses do. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, passed the House 62-32 Feb. 15.

“This is another victory for fairness and equality in Washington, but there’s still much more work to be done for lesbian and gay families in our state and around the country, we’re far from being done.” Murray said.

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