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Senate advances bill limiting municipal relationship registries, citing protection for Amendment 3
Summary
Senate sponsors moved first substitute SB 299 to the top of the second‑reading calendar after a lengthy debate over whether municipal ‘registries’ could be treated as substitutes for marriage; sponsors said the bill preserves city discretion to offer limited benefits while barring registries that ‘give legal status or effect’ equivalent to marriage.
Senators moved first substitute Senate Bill 299 to the top of the second‑reading calendar after an extended floor debate about the scope of municipal registries and the status of marriage under state law.
Senator Bell, the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate the measure is narrowly drafted to allow municipalities to “make benefits generally available to all municipal employees” and to create registries for “adult relationships of financial dependence or interdependence.” He said the critical prohibitions are limited: “a municipality may not create or maintain a registry or other means that defines, identifies or recognizes and gives legal status…
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