AN ACT CONCERNING CIVIL UNIONS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) Not later than January 15, 2009, the Commissioner of Revenue Services shall submit a report to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly on judiciary and on finance, revenue and bonding, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, setting forth the legislative and administrative changes that would be necessary to provide a credit against an employee's state income tax for the amount of federal income tax paid by such employee on the fair market value of the health insurance benefit provided by the employer to such employee's civil union partner.

Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioners of Consumer Protection, Insurance, Public Health and Revenue Services, the Chief Court Administrator and the Probate Court Administrator shall use their best efforts to ascertain any problems that have been encountered by parties to a civil union when seeking from said agencies, the courts or any individual or entity licensed or otherwise regulated by said agencies, the same benefits, protections and responsibilities under law as are granted to spouses in a marriage.

(b) Not later than October 1, 2008, the Commissioners of Consumer Protection, Insurance, Public Health and Revenue Services, the Chief Court Administrator and the Probate Court Administrator, in consultation with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, shall prepare a standardized letter and send such letter to all employees of said agencies, all superior and probate court judges and employees, and all individuals or entities licensed or otherwise regulated by said agencies explaining that, under state law, parties to a civil union have all the same benefits, protections and responsibilities as are granted to spouses in a marriage and how that law relates to their respective employment, duties, business, trade, profession or occupation. Not later than fifteen days prior to the sending of such letter, said commissioners and administrators shall forward a copy of such letter to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly on judiciary.

Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) A legal union of two persons of the same sex validly entered into in another state or jurisdiction in conformity with the law of such other state or jurisdiction shall be valid and recognized in this state as a civil union under sections 46b-38aa to 46b-38pp, inclusive, of the general statutes or the 2008 supplement to the general statutes, provided the requirements for entering into such legal union in such other state or jurisdiction, and the benefits, protections and responsibilities deriving therefrom, are substantially equivalent to the requirements for entering into, and the benefits, protections and responsibilities deriving from, a civil union in this state under said sections.

Statement of Purpose:

To address problems civil union partners are having in accessing the benefits, protections and responsibilities to which they are entitled under state law and to recognize as a civil union in this state the legal union of two persons of the same sex validly entered into in another state or jurisdiction.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]