Bill to Kill Salt Lake’s Domestic Registry Advances to the Senate

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First Substitute Senate Bill 267, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, has passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously. It will now be sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

The bill, entitled “Local Authority Amendments,” prohibits counties and cities from “establishing a domestic partnership, civil union or other domestic relationship other than marriage for any purpose.”

Buttars quickly drafted the bill as Salt Lake City was poised to pass its domestic registry, which it did last Tuesday.

Mike Thompson, executive director of Equality Utah, released the following statement to its members:

As we reported last week, Sen. Chris Buttars responded to Salt Lake City?s Domestic Partner Registry by sponsoring SB267 Local Government Authority Amendments. This bill would ?prohibit county and municipal legislative bodies from creating or establishing a registry or any other means to define, identify, or recognize a domestic partnership, civil union, or other domestic relationship other than marriage for any purpose.?

In today’s committee meeting, SLC Mayor Ralph Becker, City Council Chair Jill Remington Love, SLC’s City Attorney Ed Ruttan and Chair of Salt Lake City’s Human Rights Commission and member of Equality Utah Cristy Gleave testified in opposition to the bill. Those testifying in support of the bill included Gayle Ruzicka and former Rep. LaVar Christensen. Although opposition testimony was reasoned and rational, testimony in support of the bill fell back to the same argument that this bill advances the gay agenda and violates Amendment 3.

During today’s testimony, Senator Scott McCoy posed the question “Do you think allowing same-sex partners to qualify for a family pass at The Gallivan Center Ice Rink is the substantial equivalent of marraige.” The only response was the typical “it opens the door” argument.

The Senate Health & Human Services passed the bill to the full Senate floor for debate.

We need you to contact your Senator ask her/him to oppose this bill.”