Northwest

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009 R-71 at a glance Referendum 71 asks voters to either approve or reject the state’s so-called “everything but marriage” law that was passed earlier this year. The bill laws gives additional spousal rights and benefits to domestic partners, including same-sex couples and unmarried senior heterosexual couples, in various areas of state law. Among them: n The right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner. n The right to wages and benefits when a domestic partner is injured, and to unpaid wages upon the death of a domestic partner. n The right to unemployment and disability insurance benefits. n The right to workers’ compensation coverage. n Insurance rights, including rights under group policies, policy rights after the death of a domestic partner, conversion rights and continuing coverage rights. n Rights related to adoption, child custody and child support. n Business succession rights. ——— The current domestic partnership law already addresses: n Some public assistance provisions, such as access to state-funded domestic violence shelters. n Rights and obligations for public officials’ domestic partners to file public disclosure reports. n Probate and trust laws. n Guardianship and power of attorney issues. n Judicial process and victim rights, including testimonial privileges that allow domestic partners the right to refuse to testify against each other in court. n Dissolution, parenting plans and child support laws. n Community property and other property rights and responsibilities. n Homestead exemption laws. n Health care facility visitation rights. n Ability to grant consent for health care for a partner who is not competent. Health care providers can disclose patient information to the patient’s partner. n Title and rights to cemetery plots and rights of interment. n Right to control disposition of a deceased partner’s remains, including right to make anatomical gifts, authorize autopsies and consent to remove partner’s remains from a cemetery plot. n Inheritance rights when the domestic partner dies without a will. n Administration of an estate if the domestic partner dies without a will or if the named representative declines or is unable to serve. n Making domestic partners beneficiaries of wrongful-death actions. Lawsuits for wrongful death could be brought on behalf of a surviving domestic partner. n Requiring that information recorded on death certificates include domestic partnership status.

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