By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade | Jan 6, 12:28 PM

A Republican in the Virginia House of Delegates is sponsoring a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would allow Virginia companies to provide life insurance to partners of gay employees, according to the General Assembly’s web site.

Del. Tom Rust (R-Fairfax) filed the bill, H.B. 1726, on Tuesday. The legislation has yet to be assigned to any committee within the state House.
The bill “allows coverage under a group life insurance policy to be extended to insure any class of persons as may mutually be agreed upon by the insurer and the group policyholder.”

Virginia law currently restricts supplemental life insurance coverage to legal spouses and dependent children under 19 or 25 if the child is a full-time student.

Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), the only openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly, last year introduced a similar bill that would have allowed companies to provide life insurance to the partners of gay employees, but the measure failed in subcommittee.

“The third law is the Civil Rights Act of 2008. It strengthens existing law to ensure protections based on gender, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital status and sexual orientation. ”

How come domestic partnership is not part of this since marital status is? Since marital status is and domestic partnerships are suppose to be equal to marriage, why is it not included?

Don’t people have to be living together or have a place of cohabitation to have a domestic partnership whereas couples seeking marriage don’t?

My boyfriend and I live seperately right now so doesn’t that mean we can’t get a domestic partnership? Whereas a straight couple not living together can still get married and have it’s protections/benefits..