First few Article Sentences
Washington’s new domestic partnership law (SB 5688) giving registered domestic partners all the rights and responsibilities of spouses under state law took effect on December 3, 2009. The scope of this law is much broader than previous domestic partnership laws, and employers and insurance companies will have to review their policies to ensure that they are in compliance with the new law. This article describes who qualifies as a domestic partner and which employee benefits are affected by the new law.