State Senate passes Domestic Partnership bill

[Johnyawl]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008838714_apwaxgrdomesticpartnerships.html?syndication=rss

The state Senate has approved a bill giving same-sex domestic partners all of the rights and benefits the state offers married couples have.

The bill was passed on a 30-18 vote and now heads to the House.

It adds domestic partners to all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are addressed, statutes ranging from labor and employment to pensions and other public employee benefits.

The underlying domestic partnership law, spearheaded by Seattle Democratic Sen. Ed Murray two years ago, provided hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations and inheritance rights when there is no will.

Go here to see how your Senator voted:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5688&year=2009

(go to March 10 and view rollcalls)

[uppityperson]

1. Here is the voting list.

Voting Yea: Senators Berkey, Brandland, Brown, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Haugen, Hobbs, Jacobsen, Jarrett, Kastama, Kauffman, Keiser, Kilmer, King, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Marr, McAuliffe, McDermott, Murray, Oemig, Pflug, Prentice, Pridemore, Ranker, Regala, Rockefeller, and Tom
Voting Nay: Senators Becker, Benton, Carrell, Delvin, Hargrove, Hatfield, Hewitt, Holmquist, Honeyford, McCaslin, Morton, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Shin, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli
Absent:
Excused: Senator Parlette

[SeattleGirl]

2. Very cool! Now, if we could just move on to the next step, and

make same-sex marriage legal.....

[TriMera]

3. A step in the right direction...

But, it's still "Separate but Equal".