The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday night approved a domestic partnership registry that will allow unmarried couples recognition of their union.
The proposal passed on a 4-1 vote; only Commissioner Mike Amyx was opposed. The measure is the first of its kind in the state.
The registry would allow unmarried couples to file paperwork at the City Clerk's Office that would recognize their domestic partnership. As the registry is proposed, both partners would need to be 18 years or older and "live together in a relationship of indefinite duration with a mutual commitment in which the partners share the necessities of life and are financially interdependent." A registration fee, which hasn't been set, would be charged.
Supporters of the registry, which was proposed by members of the Kansas Equality Coalition, have said some companies offer health insurance benefits to domestic partners of employees, but the companies require some proof of the relationship. A registry run by the city could fill that requirement, they say.
The state has received a legal opinion from Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison saying the city would be within its rights to create the registry, as long as it registers only Lawrence residents.
Comments
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jpryor (anonymous) says…
well...its not raining fire yet...maybe the queers aren't so bad.
davidnta (anonymous) says…
darn...and I though Kansas was gonna go up in flames. Oh well, maybe next time...
clyde_never_barks (anonymous) says…
There goes the neighborhood.... ;-)
ericarothwell (anonymous) says…
You all realize taxes will increase because now we have to pay for thier insurance and other benefits.
And I thought the new city commission would be better...hopefully they will do right by the business owners this time around.
kuhusker (anonymous) says…
ericarothwell, this ordinance is good for business...it makes it easier to provide benefits, which in turn attracts better employees -- and improves the bottom line both for such businesses and lawrence as a whole.
introversion (anonymous) says…
That's funny... I've never seen anything about homosexuals or lesbians in the text associated with this registry. I do see the words "unmarried couples" though. Using the logic put forth by all the righteous married folk who choose to look down upon those who are different from them, I guess they were all "queers" too before they got married.
I think there's plenty of jumping to conclusions going on here. Take a better look at your own perspective.
Anyway, the fundamentalists who have fought so hard to stay in the dark ages and to "defend marriage" can have their marriage.
Now there's a domestic registry. I'm pretty sure married folks can't register domestically.
Good work.
ontheotherhand (anonymous) says…
ericarothwell, please do not insult non-marrieds who will utilize this registry when non-marrieds have had to pay for everyone else's insurance and benefits since the dawn of time.
kuhusker (anonymous) says…
marion, the state attorney general, who presumably knows a thing or two about state law and our constitution, disagrees with you.
if this thing goes to court, the city should stand up for its right for home rule. better spending time on this then wasting money fighting a losing battle against wal-mart!
blackwalnut (anonymous) says…
ontheotherhand (Anonymous) says:
...non-marrieds have had to pay for everyone else's insurance and benefits since the dawn of time.
This is true. Couples who could never marry have borne the shared cost of things that they could never, ever claim for themselves.
This registry is the right thing, in principal. In practice it will be tricky. Rightwing nutjobs on the radio will make hay from it. Lawrence will get national attention. Will couples who could marry choose to register instead? Will people register without much seriousness just to get benefits? All this will make it a work in progress. Oy.
I'm glad the city commission had the courage to go here. It is groundbreaking.
perkins (anonymous) says…
Marion, since the AG says its okay, please specify the words in the state constitution (I'm embarrassed at how long it has been since I have read it) that you believe clearly prohibit this registry.
Thanks.
white_mountain (anonymous) says…
Can we please make Fred Phelps proud and get back to Bible basics? How about an ordinance banning divorce.. Bible clearly forbids it (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)
toefungus (anonymous) says…
OK. So my daughter and son no longer have insurance on my employer's insurance plan when they graduate from KU. Can I register both of them as being in a committed relationship with me? Then I could get insurance for them. Will this ordinance limit me to just picking one? I am firmly committed to both and them to me. If not, I can at least help one of them. I am widowed. I may try it.
promitida (anonymous) says…
Woohoo!
davidnta (anonymous) says…
toefungus, clearly if you had actually read the ordinance this issue has been addressed:
(A) The persons are not related by blood closer than permitted under the marriage laws of the State.
So no incest for you, and shame on you for even considering it.
RKLOG (Mark Andrew) says…
Yay!
deec (anonymous) says…
I second your yay. Guess all the folks on here who are worried about their marriages are up late tonight packing their bags to flee.
Barclay (anonymous) says…
In an ill-advised decision such as this there will be economic and cultural costs. The price of immorality is too high. I am disappointed with our city commission. I thought our new group was going to be a "new" group. Guess not. Sorry I even cast my votes. When the foundations of our society are destroyed, what should the righteous do? Psalms 11:3. Time to rebuild.
lunacydetector (anonymous) says…
what if?...........what if, in the future, when the democratic party's numbers have dwindled and they go the route of a military coup and take over, and their new leader is a fascist (since the democratic party is more fascist leaning by far than republican), and this new leader happens to favor those nazi principles and decides to do some ethnic cleansing - all they have to do is go down to city hall and get names?
after all, the democrats were in favor of slavery in the day, and of course they believe in infanticide by any means, censorship, promoting a godless society, etc., it only fits that they would be more "open minded" to accept an overthrow of the US government in a military coup.
my trolling is done for the day.
dragonwagon2 (anonymous) says…
This is a progressive stance that is very welcome! I understand there will be naysayers - there always are with progress. Thanks, City Commission for your groundbreaking decision! This will be a wonderful change for my family. Not all families look alike - and isn't that a wonderful thing?
sunshine_noise (anonymous) says…
Can I register my grandson and I so I can claim him on my health insurance? He is my domestic partner in a sense?