St. Paul City Council members to propose domestic partner registration

Two members of the St. Paul City Council plan to introduce an ordinance next week that would offer same-sex couples the chance to register as domestic partners.

Lee Helgen and Dave Thune will introduce the legislation at the next City Council meeting.

"St. Paul is a city that values families," Helgen, who represents the city’s Ward 5, said in a statement. "By providing a domestic partner registry, we are creating an opportunity for couples to document their ongoing commitment to each other."

Under the legislation, couples who want to register must confirm that they are "committed to one another to the same extent as married persons" and are "jointly responsible to each other for the necessities of life."

"St. Paul is joining the rest of the country in acknowledging and accepting domestic partnerships because we respect and care about all people of the city," said Thune, who represents Ward 2.

Thune is an author of St. Paul’s 1990 human rights ordinance.

For a fee of $20, registered couples will receive a certificate from the city that will serve as a legal document and make it easier for employers to offer benefits to same-sex couples and their dependents. Heterosexual unmarried couples also will have the opportunity to register as domestic partners.

If the legislation is successful, St. Paul will join MInneapolis and Duluth in offering a domestic partner registry.

No Responses to “St. Paul City Council members to propose domestic partner registration”

1. Anonymous Says:
   June 22nd, 2009 at 8:55 am

   It’s about time!!!