So maybe you've thought about registering your domestic partnership with the city of Mpls but wondered what good it would do you since it wouldn't be recognized while traveling where you may feel most in need of the rights the ordinance extends while dealing with healthcare providers you are unfamiliar with in another city, state, or country.
A new law in NYC that is on it's way to the mayor's desk for a signature would extend to any couple having a registered relationship under any other jurisdiction the rights extended to New Yorkers under the city's extensive domestic partnership ordinance. Perhaps most important for visitors is the right to visit a partner in a healthcare facility. Other popular travel destinations around the world already do this. As the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, France, Spain, Quebec, Ontario,(in fact Canada has extended the equivalent of Social Security to domestic partners nationwide), South Africa, Columbia, and many many other jurisdictions outside the U.S. either have legalized same sex marriage or have national or provincial domestic partnership registries, this is increasingly an issue in areas that draw large numbers of international workers and tourists. Add into the mix the new statewide law in California extending many rights to domestic partners and providing a statewide registry, the reciprocal beneficiary and domestic partnerhsip laws in Hawaii, and the smorgasbord of reciprocal beneficiaries, domestic partners, civil unions and marriage offered in Vermont for different types of legally recognized relationships and you can begin to see the importance of this type of legislation to the tourist trade. With many major cities offering such registries as well including Washington, DC, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, Ann Arbor, MI, etc. offering a variety of different rights the pool of people who have relationships legally recognized relationships in one way or another is quite large. I think it would behoove the Minneapolis' tourist trade to have a similiar kind of provision ammended to the city's domestic partnership ordinance. It could also be helpful in drawing students and highly skilled workers from both abroad and other states by highlighting the city's positive atmoshphere in relation to domestic partner type relationships particularly in light of the contrary adverse evidence emanating recently from the state house. Below find a link to the application to register a dp with the city, an article on the new New York City ordinance, and the subsection of the dp registration ordinance dealing with healthcare facility visitation rights in Mpls. Thanks, David Strand Loring Park Minneapolis application for registering a domestic partnership: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/clerk/about/domestic-partners-application.html Article on new New York City law recognizing rights of visitors: http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=5842&sd=08/17/02-08/19/02 New York visitors get partner benefits The New York City council approved a bill Thursday extending the city's domestic-partner benefits to same-sex couples visiting the city who are in a legally sanctioned relationship.The legislation, which must be signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is intended to cover gays and lesbians from cities such as Los Angeles that have domestic-partnership laws; nations such as the Netherlands, which recognizes gay marriages; and Vermont, which recognizes same-sex unions. To receive the city's domestic-partner benefits, visitors must show a certificate indicating that they have legally registered their relationship back home. The legislation's supporters say the measure is necessary because city law does not recognize the laws of other jurisdictions regarding gay and lesbian relationships, meaning that same-sex couples are sometimes denied rights taken for granted by gays in the city, such as hospital visitation. The bill passed 34-7, with four abstentions, and was supported by council speaker Gifford Miller. ****************************************************** Portion of Mpls ordinance dealing with visitation rights in health care facilities. 142.70. Visitation in health care facilities. (a) Patient designation. Where a health care facility restricts a patient's visitors, the health care facility shall allow every patient to name those individuals whom the patient wishes to allow to visit, unless: (1) No visitors are allowed; or (2) The facility determines that the presence of a particular visitor named by the patient would endanger the health or safety of a patient or patients, or would endanger the primary operations of the facility. (b) Domestic partners who do not make designations. If a patient with whom visiting is restricted has not made the designation provided for in subsection (a), and if the patient has not indicated that she or he wishes no visitors, the facility must allow the patient's domestic partner, the children of the patient's domestic partner, or the domestic partner of the patient's parent or child to visit, unless: (1) No visitors are allowed, or (2) The facility determines that the presence of a particular visitor would endanger the health or safety of a patient or patients, or would endanger the primary operations of the facility. (c) Health care facility defined. A "health care facility" for the purpose of this article is hospital, sanitarium, or other institution for the hospitalization or care of human beings licensed under Minnesota Statutes, Sections 144.50 to 144.56. (91-Or-015, � 1, 1-25-91) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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