State senators today approved legislation granting registered domestic partners in Washington a broader set of rights. The “Everything But Marriage” bill now moves to the desk of Governor Christine Gregoire who is expected to sign the legislation into law. Expanded domestic partner rights will include:

• the right to use sick leave to care for a partner

• pension benefits
• workers’ compensation coverage
• the right to unemployment and disability benefits

In a press release from the Washington State Democrats, Senator Ed Murray said, “This is a great day for those who embrace equality and fairness in our state. Today, we are one step closer to protecting all of our families.”

Publicola credited Capitol Hill Representative Jamie Pedersen for driving passage with “an incremental strategy that’s intended to make gay marriage more palatable to opponents.”

“We are fully equal under the law,” Pedersen told Publicola.