Gov. Bill Ritter of
Colorado on Thursday signed the
Designated Beneficiary Agreement Act,
which allows unmarried adult couples -- including same-sex
partners -- some of the legal rights afforded to
married couples; the legislation delivers expanded
rights in areas including inheritance matters, medical
decisions, and hospital visitation.
With an eye toward
convenience, the law permits any two unmarried adults to
designate each other as beneficiaries by filing a form with a
county clerk. The legislation takes effect on July 1.
Two openly gay members
of the legislature, Sen. Jennifer Veiga and Rep. Mark
Ferrandino, both Democrats from Denver, sponsored the
legislation. It passed with minimal Republican support.
Republican senator
Kevin Lundberg had dismissed the legislation as an attempt to
establish "marriage light." Colorado voters passed a
same-sex marriage ban in 2006.
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