Apr. 29, 2004 – In what he called a demonstration that Maine is committed to civil rights for all its citizens, the state’s governor signed a domestic partnership bill into law. The law gives homosexual and heterosexual couples that have lived together for longer than one year in a committed relationship many of the benefits that straight married couples enjoy. “When your partner dies, it is a very hard time in your life and you may need protection no matter how supportive your family is,” said Betsy Smith, executive director of Equality Maine, one of the groups that worked for passage of the bill. “Even without a will, under this law someone in a domestic partnership can be able to keep the house and keep their shared property."
