New Mexico governor pushing domestic partnership bill; committee postpones action

NM gov. wants Senate vote on domestic partnerships

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is pushing for a vote by all state senators on a proposal to allow domestic partnerships.

Richardson said Wednesday he doesn’t want the bill to get bottled up in a Senate committee this session. The bill has cleared one committee but needs to get through two more to reach the Senate floor.

Richardson said at a news conference that all senators should have a chance to vote because domestic partnerships represent an important civil rights issue. The Senate rejected the measure last year.

The Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on the bill Wednesday because a winter storm made travel hazardous in the Santa Fe area.

The bill would give unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples the legal protections and benefits of married couples.