Marriage? everything but Granting domestic partners the legal rights of marriage without the name makes sense to lawmakers. It allows them to appeal to the majority that believes in the legal recognition of gay couples and the majority that opposes gay marriage. | April 2009 | Q View Northwest - Spokane Edition | www.qviewnorthwest.com by Natalie Wendt "It is the intent of the legislature that for all purposes under state law, state registered domestic partners shall be treated the same as married spouses," say two bills currently being considered in Washington state. These essentially identical bills known as SB 5688 and HB 1727 passed February 17th and February 12th in the state Senate and in the state House respectively. They've since been referred to Senate and House Rules Committees for a second reading. These ambitious bills aim to significantly expand the rights and responsibilities of domestic partners in the Evergreen State. According to the ACLU, which supports the bills, "Washington couples who are allowed to legally marry benefit