In the case of rental property, it is not necessary that both partners' names appear on a lease. A domestic partner may retain another residence, and either partner may temporarily leave for business travel or any other reason as long as the partner intends to return to the common residence. Domestic partners must simply share a residence that is the location of a shared household. Domestic partnership provides legal and societal affirmation of the value of lesbian and gay relationships. Currently, the new domestic-partnership law guarantees hospital visitation rights to registered couples and extends employee health benefits for certain public sector employees whose coverage is governed under state law.
Additional benefits are likely to accrue to registered domestic partners in the future.
In fact, four bills have been introduced in the legislature this year to expand these rights. Private employers may also use state registration as a basis for extending benefits, and under the statute local governments may enact additional rights and duties related to domestic partnerships. By registering as domestic partners, the couple agree to be jointly responsible for each other's basic living expenses. These expenses include shelter, utilities, and the cost of maintaining the common household. If other economic benefits accrue from the domestic partnership, such as health insurance coverage, they are also included as basic living expenses.