STATEMENT ON CIVIL UNION REPORT

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine today issued the following statement regarding the first report of the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission:

"In December 2006, New Jersey became only the third state in the nation to give same-sex couples the right to enter into civil unions. We believed at the time and remain steadfast in our conviction that these couples deserve the same rights and benefits of every other family in this state.

"As a result of the bill, the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission was created and charged with studying and analyzing the effectiveness of the Civil Union Act. It is clear that with this first report, the members of this Commission have undertaken this central task with an extreme dedication and commitment to fully evaluate the true impact of the Civil Union law.

"Although this is not a final report and further evaluation remains, the report does raise significant concerns about whether the law has effectively granted same-sex couples the same rights and benefits of every other family in the State.

"I look forward to reviewing the interim report in more careful detail and working with the Commission and the Legislature on ensuring that the basic principles of equal protection under the law as secured by our Constitution are afforded to everyone."

Governor Corzine signed the state's Civil Union Bill on December 21, 2006. The bill gives individuals in civil unions all of the rights granted to married couples, including the rights of hospital visitation, the ability to collect survivor benefits, and eligibility for tax deductions. Businesses, public and private employers, organizations and institutions will be required to treat civil union couples in the same manner as married persons are treated.

The legislation was approved in response to the New Jersey Supreme Court's Lewis vs. Harris in October 2006. The bill statutorily created the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission to evaluate the implementation of the law over a three-year period.

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Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page.