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.