NJ Legislation Advances DP Rights
March 8, 2005
TRENTON— The surviving partners of LGBT veterans would get a full property tax exemption under legislation being considered by the New Jersey legislature.
The measure has been approved by a key committee and now moves to the full Assembly.
To be eligible under A 3629, couples would have had to register under New Jersey's Domestic Partnership Act. The tax break would then be extended to the partner of a disabled or deceased vet. It would cover 100 percent of the property tax.
All five branches of the military would be included in the measure.
There are many gay and lesbian veterans in New Jersey. Despite the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, gays have served in the military quite honorably, and there are veterans in the New Jersey lesbian and gay community.
The Domestic Partnership Act gives a gay or lesbian partner the right to visit a life mate in the hospital, make medical and funeral decisions related to the person, and count the individual as a dependent for the state income tax.
Veterans who are 100 percent disabled due to their service to this nation should have every advantage under the law whether they live with a spouse or a same-sex partner, said Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), a major sponsor of the legislation.
As of December, 1,058 gay couples and 1,582 lesbian couples had registered as partners under New Jersey's year-old Domestic Partnership Act.
Also, in another bill introduced by Assemblywoman Weinberg, domestic partners are included among those who may be designated as proxies for mental health care. The New Jersey Advance Directives for Mental Health Care Act (A3833), introduced on February 24, would allow individuals to name an individual, including their registered domestic partner, as the person who may make decisions regarding their mental health care if they are incapacitated.
A similar bill, S2369, was introduced in the New Jersey Senate. The bill has widespread support and is expected to pass without controversy.
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