H-0901.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1970

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representatives Mulliken, Casada, Mielke, Lambert, Campbell, Cox, Sump, Schindler, Boldt, Morell, Carrell, Ahern and Dunn

Read first time 02/12/2001.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Reaffirming and protecting the institution of marriage.

    AN ACT Relating to reaffirming and protecting the institution of marriage; amending RCW 26.04.020; and providing for submission of this act to a vote of the people.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 26.04.020 and 1998 c 1 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Marriages in the following cases are prohibited:

    (a) When either party thereto has a wife or husband living at the time of such marriage;

    (b) When the husband and wife are nearer of kin to each other than second cousins, whether of the whole or half blood computing by the rules of the civil law; or

    (c) When the parties are persons other than a male and a female.

    (2) It is unlawful for any man to marry his father's sister, mother's sister, daughter, sister, son's daughter, daughter's daughter, brother's daughter or sister's daughter; it is unlawful for any woman to marry her father's brother, mother's brother, son, brother, son's son, daughter's son, brother's son or sister's son.

    (3) A marriage between two persons that is recognized as valid in another jurisdiction is valid in this state only if the marriage is not prohibited ((or made unlawful)) under subsection (1)(a)((,)) or (1)(c) of this section, or unlawful under subsection (2) of this section.

(4) The uniting of two persons in a nonmarital domestic relationship, including a civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar relationship when the persons are other than a male and a female is not valid in this state and such a uniting of two persons recognized as valid in another jurisdiction is not recognized as valid in this state.

(5) A person in a nonmarital domestic relationship shall not qualify for, or receive, any spousal, familial, or marital benefit, privilege, advantage, or entitlement, or any equivalent thereof, that is paid for, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, with public funds.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The secretary of state shall submit this act to the people for their adoption and ratification, or rejection, at the next general election to be held in this state, in accordance with Article II, section 1 of the state Constitution and the laws adopted to facilitate its operation.

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