Domestic-partnerships: Moeller presides over historic House session

Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore manages ‘relatively tranquil debate’

February 15, 2008 

OLYMPIA – Washington couples enrolled in the state’s domestic-partnership registry would see new rights and responsibilities, according to terms of legislation approved, 62-32, in the House of Representatives today (Feb. 15, 2008).           

State Rep. Jim Moeller, House Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore and a co-sponsor of the legislation, presided over the historic session of the House in which the measure (House Bill 3104) was passed.        

“It was a great honor and a great privilege to preside over the discussion of this legislation,” said Moeller.

“We actually had a relatively tranquil debate on the issue this afternoon. It was a civil and for the most part rancor-free discussion, as a matter of fact,” the Vancouver Democrat said of an issue that over the years has seen more than its share of incivility and rancor.

“We’ve seen much more contentious debate over pesticides on the House floor this session, that’s for sure.”        

Now in the Senate for more discussion, the domestic-partnership measure provides state-registered domestic partners with many of the rights and responsibilities that are now available for spouses. These new rights involve dissolutions of the domestic partnership, community property, estate-planning, taxes, and other areas of couples law.

“We as a state have fairly recently taken the long overdue step of outlawing discrimination that is based on a person’s sexual orientation,” noted Moeller. “Today, the House approved fair, commonsense principles to affirm domestic-partnership rights and benefits for same-sex couples.         

“Nothing is more personal and more intimate than the decision between two human beings to commit themselves to one another,” he added. “Gay and lesbian American citizens over the past few years in fact have used brief windows of opportunity to pledge their lives in union to one another.”                    

The domestic-partnership registry was created in legislation approved last year. The registry is open to same-gender and senior-citizen couples. Twenty-three rights and obligations are provided by the registry.  

This year’s measure would add 174 rights and duties to the relationships of the citizens who are registered. These rights and duties added in the 2008 bill include nursing-home visitation, veterans’ benefits, community property, probate and trust, and guardianship and power of attorney.

Still, heterosexual married couples have access to 283 rights and responsibilities that, even if today’s House legislation goes on to become the law of the state, won’t be available for couples who participate in the registry.