Rhode Island Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Give Domestic Partners Burial Rights

This past week the governor of Rhode Island vetoed a bill that would have authorized domestic partners to make funeral arrangements for each other.  The following, taken from Katherine Gregg, Update: R.I. governor vetoes ‘domestic partners’ burial bill, Providence Journal, Nov. 10, 2009, describes the details of the bill:

The bill . . . would add “domestic partners” to the list, in current law, of people who can legally make arrangements for a deceased person’s funeral, cremation or burial to include domestic partners if the deceased person left no pre-arranged funeral contract.

The legislation defines a domestic partner as someone who was in an “exclusive, intimate and committed relationship” with the deceased and had lived with him or her for at least a year prior to the death; is at least 18, not married to anyone else, not related by blood and who was financially “interdependent” with the deceased as evidenced, for example, by a joint mortgage, shared credit card or domestic partnership contract.

According to its sponsors, the legislation is designed to provide rights to domestic partners regardless of whether they are of the same or opposite sexes.

The governor vetoed the bill because one year was not long enough to give priority over family members and because the bill did not clarify how to determine the presence of a one year relationship.

See Katherine Gregg, Update: R.I. governor vetoes ‘domestic partners’ burial bill, Providence Journal, Nov. 10, 2009.