Domestic partnership in Oregon
Oregon has registered domestic partnerships between same-sex couples since 2008 and has expanded the law to begin registering partnerships between opposite-sex couples in 2024.
In April and May 2007, following a previous attempt in 2005, the Oregon state legislature passed legislation to make virtually all of the rights afforded by the state to married couples available to same-sex couples. The status is referred to in Oregon law as a domestic partnership, avoiding the use of the terms marriage or civil union. Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the bill on May 9, 2007. While January 1, 2008 was the date the statute would have taken effect, a court challenge had delayed its implementation. It was resolved on February 1, 2008, and the law went into effect that day, with registrations beginning on February 4, 2008.
History
Advocacy for civil unions
The original Oregon Senate Bill 1000 would have created civil unions and prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment, public accommodations and public services. On July 8, 2005, Oregon state senators approved it. Lawmakers at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem voted 19-10 in favor, but the Republican Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, Karen Minnis, blocked it.Advocacy for reciprocal beneficiaries
On July 21, 2005, the House performed a series of moves where the bill was amended, removing most of its language and replacing it with different text. The new text of Senate Bill 1000 no longer contained language about sexual orientation, prohibition of discrimination, nor civil unions. Instead, it reaffirmed the recent state constitutional prohibition of same-sex marriage and proposed to create "reciprocal beneficiary agreements". "Reciprocal beneficiaries" could be any two people prohibited by law from marrying each other, such as a "widowed mother and her unmarried son", and would not have the rights and obligations of married persons, specifically excluding employer-granted benefits such as health insurance or retirement benefits. Reciprocal beneficiaries would be granted inheritance rights, and the power to make medical or financial decisions if the reciprocal beneficiary was incapacitated.The changes effectively killed momentum to pass the bill, which died in committee.
Domestic partnerships
However, after the November 2006 mid-term elections Democrats won a majority of the formerly Republican-controlled House, and in early 2007, Democrats re-introduced a bill in the House similar to the 2005 legislation. The bill adopted the term "domestic partnership" to describe these unions; the terms "marriage" or "civil union" were absent. This bill enjoyed a relatively easy passage through the legislature, when compared to its 2005 predecessor. Passed by the House on April 17, 2007 and by the Senate on May 2, 2007, Governor Kulongoski signed the Oregon Family Fairness Act on May 9, 2007. The law was scheduled to take effect January 1, 2008, but was delayed by a preliminary injunction until after a hearing on February 1, 2008, where the injunction was lifted. Domestic partnerships became effective from February 4, 2008.Differences in the legislation
Oregon uses the term "domestic partnerships", as do Washington state and California. While the registries in Washington state and California made domestic partnerships available to couples of any gender, Oregon initially limited them to same-sex couples. Opposite-sex couples in Oregon may apply for domestic partnerships beginning January 1, 2024.Oregon's legislation has no ceremony requirement. All marriage requires a ceremony, whether religious or civil, to be considered valid. In Oregon couples are required only to register their domestic partnerships through the submission of a paper form.
An Oregon domestic partnership is recognized by the state of Oregon, but it is up to other states and the federal government whether they'll recognize it too.