Oregon Public Broadcasting

As promised, conservative groups will challenge  Washington’s newly expanded domestic partnership law. It gives registered partners all of the same rights as married couples in Washington.

A referendum filed Monday would let voters decide this November whether the expansion of rights should become state law. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins has details.

The newly passed legislation says state law should treat registered same-sex couples in Washington the same as married couples.

It covers insurance and pension benefits and even divorces.

Governor Chris Gregoire hasn’t signed the bill into law yet. But that’s not stopping Larry Stickney of the Washington Values Alliance. He’s filed the paperwork to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal the law.

Larry Stickney, Washington Values Alliance: “We consider it marriage because we see marriage achieved by judicial fiat and this kind of legislation kind of tees it up for the courts to act.”

Stickney and his allies must collect more than 120,000 valid voter signatures by July 25 to put the referendum before Washington voters this fall.

State Senator Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat, is a chief backer of the state’s domestic partnership law. He calls the referendum regrettable, but says he’s confident voters will let the “everything but marriage” law stand if given the opportunity.

In 2006, initiative promoter Tim Eyman failed to garner enough signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal a gay civil rights law passed by the legislature.  

Online:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5688&year=2009