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Legislation introduced today would make Delaware the seventh state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples and afford them similar rights and protections as are granted to married heterosexual couples.
Senate Bill 30 would make civil unions available to same-sex couples only, reserving the official designation of marriage for heterosexual couples, but all state rules and policies applied to marriages would be extended to civil unions.
The bill would allow couples with civil unions to make medical decisions for their partners, jointly adopt children and be listed on birth certificates, as well as pass on property and retain parental rights in the event of one partner’s death.
Employers also would be required to extend couples with civil unions the same benefits given to married employees, including health care coverage.
Because civil unions are not recognized by the federal government, the provisions of the bill would be superseded in any instance where federal rules governing benefits or employment apply.
The bill also would not override exceptions granted under the state’s nondiscrimination laws, which, as they relate to sexual orientation, do not apply to companies with less than four employees or religious organizations.
Civil unions would be performed, recorded and dissolved in the same ways as marriages. Clergy members, according to the First Amendment, would not be required to perform a civil union in any circumstance.
According to the legislation, Delaware would recognize civil unions performed in other states. Same-sex marriages, legal in eight states, would be recognized in Delaware as civil unions, not marriages.
The bill is authored by Sen. Dave Sokola, D-Newark, and currently has 27 co-sponsors in the General Assembly.
Legislation introduced today would make Delaware the seventh state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples and afford them similar rights and protections as are granted to married heterosexual couples.
Senate Bill 30 would make civil unions available to same-sex couples only, reserving the official designation of marriage for heterosexual couples, but all state rules and policies applied to marriages would be extended to civil unions.
The bill would allow couples with civil unions to make medical decisions for their partners, jointly adopt children and be listed on birth certificates, as well as pass on property and retain parental rights in the event of one partner’s death.
Employers also would be required to extend couples with civil unions the same benefits given to married employees, including health care coverage.
Because civil unions are not recognized by the federal government, the provisions of the bill would be superseded in any instance where federal rules governing benefits or employment apply.
The bill also would not override exceptions granted under the state’s nondiscrimination laws, which, as they relate to sexual orientation, do not apply to companies with less than four employees or religious organizations.
Civil unions would be performed, recorded and dissolved in the same ways as marriages. Clergy members, according to the First Amendment, would not be required to perform a civil union in any circumstance.
According to the legislation, Delaware would recognize civil unions performed in other states. Same-sex marriages, legal in eight states, would be recognized in Delaware as civil unions, not marriages.
The bill is authored by Sen. Dave Sokola, D-Newark, and currently has 27 co-sponsors in the General Assembly.
