Same-sex marriage has been legal in the District of Columbia since March 3, Council on December 15 legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the signing, the measure entered a mandatory congressional review of 30 work days. Marriage licenses became available on March 3, and marriages began on March 9, In addition to recognizing same-sex marriages, the District has also allowed residents to enter into registered domestic partnerships since Since the passage of the Domestic Partnership Judicial Determination of Parentage Act of , the District has recognized civil unions and domestic partnerships performed in other jurisdictions that have all the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
The law gives the mayor discretion to recognize relationships from states with lesser benefits. Domestic partnerships in the District of Columbia are open to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
One of the unusual features of the original bill establishing domestic partnerships was that it allowed partnerships to be created between people who were related by blood e. All couples registered as domestic partners are entitled to the same rights as family members and spouses to visit their domestic partners in hospital and jail and to make decisions concerning the treatment of a domestic partner's remains and estate after the partner's death.
The measure also grants a number of benefits to District government employees. Domestic partners are eligible for health insurance coverage, can use annual leave or unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a dependent child or to care for a domestic partner or a partner's dependents , and can make funeral arrangements for a deceased partner.
The original bill establishing domestic partnerships in the District of Columbia was known as the Health Benefits Expansion Act. It was passed by the D. Council and signed into law by Mayor Sharon Pratt. The bill became law on June 11, Every year between and , the Republican leadership of the U. Congress added a rider to the District of Columbia appropriations bill that prohibited the use of federal or local funds to implement the Act.
