Wednesday night the Washington State Senate swiftly passed legislation to legalize gay marriage. The bill will now go to the House, where it is also expected to pass. Earlier this month, in our Seattle Family Law Attorney Blog, we wrote about what some of the implications of this bill may be for registered domestic partners.

Registered domestic partnerships were written into law four years ago to afford certain benefits to gay couples. Now, if the same-sex marriage legislation passes into law, these registered couples will have to either marry or dissolve their partnerships by June 30, 2014. The partnerships of couples who take no action will be converted to marriage by the state.

This provision was reportedly written into the law so that all couples, gay and straight, will have the same rights. The bill will therefore end the domestic partnership registry, making marriage the only option for a formalized legal commitment--with an exception for senior citizens.

The primary sponsor of the bill said in Seattle Times report that the point of domestic partnerships was not to have an alternative to marriage; rather it was a step toward legalizing same-sex marriage.

The provision has not been very controversial, perhaps because many of those in domestic partnerships would prefer to be married.

It is important to note that when the domestic-partnership law was enacted in 2006, straight couples, of which one partner is at least 62 years old, were allowed to register. This was because when senior citizens marry they may be putting their pension and Social Security at risk. These couples will not be affected by the same-sex marriage legislation. They will be allowed to remain in their partnerships.

For those domestic partners who may decide to dissolve, legal assistance may be necessary. Just as in divorce, there are many issues that arise when ending a partnership. These may include property division, spousal support, custody, relocation with a child and child support.

The same-sex marriage bill is expected to pass in the House as early as next week.

Source: The Seattle Times, "Little outcry over plan to shift domestic partners into marriage," Lornet Turnbull, Feb. 1, 2012