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Article: Partnership Bill Passes in Wash. State
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- April 11, 2007
CopyrightCopyright 2007 Associated Press/AP Online. This material is published under license from the publisher through YellowBrix, Alexandria, Virginia. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to YellowBrix. (Hide copyright information)
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OLYMPIA, Wash. - Nearly a year after the state Supreme Court upheld Washington's ban on same-sex marriage, the state Legislature passed a measure to give gay and lesbian couples some of the rights that come with marriage.
The measure passed 65-35 on Tuesday. The state Senate approved the bill last month, and it now heads to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who is expected to sign it into law.
"It is an important step, I believe, for turning back the horrendous law that this Legislature passed in 1998, to deny gay and lesbian families the right to marry," said state Sen. Ed Murray, who is one of five openly gay lawmakers in the Legislature.
That 1998 law, the Defense of Marriage Act, restricts ...