State House sends domestic partnership expansion legislation to Governor Gregoire
UPDATE - Roll call:
E2SSB 5688Pretty much a party line vote.
Registered domestic partners
House vote on Final Passage
4/15/2009
Yeas: 62 Nays: 35 Absent: 0 Excused: 1
Voting Yea: Representatives Appleton, Blake, Carlyle, Chase, Clibborn, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dickerson, Driscoll, Dunshee, Eddy, Ericks, Finn, Goodman, Grant-Herriot, Green, Haigh, Hasegawa, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Hurst, Jacks, Johnson, Kagi, Kelley, Kenney, Kessler, Kirby, Liias, Linville, Maxwell, McCoy, Moeller, Morrell, Morris, Nelson, O'Brien, Ormsby, Orwall, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Probst, Quall, Roberts, Rolfes, Santos, Seaquist, Sells, Simpson, Springer, Sullivan, Takko, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Wallace, Walsh, White, Williams, Wood, and Mr. Speaker
Voting Nay: Representatives Alexander, Anderson, Angel, Armstrong, Bailey, Campbell, Chandler, Condotta, Cox, Crouse, Dammeier, DeBolt, Ericksen, Haler, Herrera, Hinkle, Hope, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Miloscia, Orcutt, Parker, Pearson, Priest, Roach, Rodne, Ross, Schmick, Shea, Short, Smith, Taylor, and Warnick
Excused: Representative Flannigan
Among those speaking in favor of the bill were Representatives Jamie Pedersen, Fred Finn, and Lynn Kessler (the Majority Leader). Among those speaking against were Representatives Shelly Short, Jay Rodne, and Ed Orcutt.
The House defeated several Republican efforts to attach bad amendments to the bill. Among the harmful changes that were rejected were Representative Rodne's attempt to turn the bill into a referendum (PDF) and Representative Ross' attempt to insert language (PDF) that would force schools to instruct students that marriage is only for heterosexual couples.
The bill expands the rights and responsibilities of state registered domestic partners, allowing them to be treated the same as married spouses. Here's an excerpt from Section 1 of the bill:
Any privilege, immunity, right, benefit, or responsibility granted or imposed by statute, administrative or court rule, policy, common law or any other law to an individual because the individual is or was a spouse, or because the individual is or was an in-law in a specified way to another individual, is granted on equivalent terms, substantive and procedural, to an individual because the individual is or was in a state registered domestic partnership or because the individual is or was, based on a state registered domestic partnership, related in a specified way to another individual.E2SSB 5688 has already passed the State Senate by a vote of thirty to eighteen. Since the House has passed it without amendment, it now heads to the desk of Governor Chris Gregoire for her signature.
Congratulations to the folks at Equal Rights Washington, who led the way in pushing this legislation through the statehouse.
This is an important civil rights victory that moves us closer towards full marriage equality for all Washington couples.
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