Here's a message from my friend and boardmember of The Center Brian Brant about a new bill that would greatly benefit Colorado's GLBT couples:I have been volunteering some of my time to help ERC and CLIP with a new bill which would allow two unmarried adults to enter into a designated beneficiary agreement. The agreement would designate property inheritance, visitation rights for hospitals and nursing homes, medical decision making, end of life decision making, recipients of health and life insurance benefits, guardianship, and gives the beneficiary the right to sue for wrongful death. The bill is HB1260 and is sponsored by Ferandino and Viega. There is quite a bit of support for it from both Democrats and Republicans. The bill is going to be heard in judiciary committee on Monday so I want to encourage everyone to call the members of the judiciary committee, especially if you happen to be a constituent, to encourage them to support the bill. The vote looks strong as of now but it never hurts to have additional influence!
You can read the actual bill here.
There will be a couple of amendments about severability and delineating what happens if the person has children.
The members of the Judiciary committee are Representatives Levy, McCann, Court, Gardner B, King, Miklosi, Pace, Roberts, Ryden and Waller. You can find contact information on the general assembly site here. It doesn't hurt to call all the members of a committee but it has particular impact if you are a constituent.
You can find out who your representative is by going to Project Vote Smart and and entering your zip code.
Although this doesn't just apply to same sex couples, it could mean a lot to same sex couples who can't afford to draw up formal wills, powers of attorney and the like. I hope you'll call!
