Designated beneficiary rules grant unmarried pairs in Colorado decision-making power

By support
Jul 01, 2009 at 09:31 pm

The Denver Post
July 1, 2009
In April, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed a bill that gives unmarried couples the right to enter into "designated beneficiary agreements," which guarantee many of the rights usually reserved for husbands and wives. The law goes into effect today. These rights apply to both opposite sex and same sex couples. Colorado and Hawaii are the only states that offer these types of agreements. Colorado's law is based on Hawaii's "reciprocal beneficiaries" program, which began in 1997. The main difference is that in Colorado, one person can designate another as a beneficiary even if that designation is not reciprocated. Beyond the added legal security, the law is seen as an important step toward bringing same-sex couples equal rights. [Link]
blog comments powered by Disqus