Davis Approves More Rights for Domestic Partners

Governor Davis has signed into law a domestic partner bill granting more rights to same-sex couples.

The bill expands the rights of gay couples in areas ranging from health coverage and parental status to property ownership and funeral arrangements. It won´t take effect until January 1, 2005.

Not everyone supports the domestic partner legislation.

A representative of state Senator William Knight says Knight will file a lawsuit against Davis on Monday in Sacramento challenging the new law. The Republican from Palmdale authored Proposition 22, the 2000 voter-approved ballot initiative which confirmed that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in the state of California.”

The new law intentionally falls short of a complete endorsement of “gay marriage.”