D.C. BILL GIVES GREATER BENEFITS TO UNMARRIED COUPLES: From the Washington Blade

D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) on Jan. 18 introduced a bill to expand the city's domestic partners law by providing an additional package of benefits and obligations for same-sex couples, including inheritance rights and a requirement to support a partner after a breakup through payments similar to alimony.

The legislation, Bill 16-52, the Domestic Partnership Equality Act of 2005, would provide same-sex and opposite sex couples that register with the District government as domestic partners with another seven benefits or obligations that currently are applicable only to married couples.

Among them are the recognition of domestic partners and their children as legal heirs should a partner die without leaving a will; immunity from testifying against a partner in a civil or criminal case; the obligation to repay a partner's debts; legal standing to sue for negligence in the event of a wrongful death of a partner; and the right to make the equivalent of legally binding "pre-marital" agreements.

The bill would also allow one partner to assume the power of attorney to manage the other partner's legal affairs.

In the event of a separation or dissolution of a domestic partnership, the bill establishes the same procedures and requirements for alimony and child support that currently exist under D.C. law for the separation and divorce of married couples. Obligations for alimony and child support are enforceable by the D.C. courts and could result in garnishment of wages or imprisonment if a domestic partner fails to comply, the bill states.

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