1.   Although Hawaii and California have already passed domestic partnership laws, Vermont proposes enacting a far more extensive same-sex marriage law.

2.   Although the Legislature has been run by Democrats for several decades, this was the first major effort to offer domestic partnership benefits to Capitol employees.

3.   And Gov. Gray Davis had fought for domestic partnership benefits while he was a University of California regent.

4.   Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles, and Senate President pro tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, support domestic partnership benefits.

5.   At the same time, however, major companies in increasing numbers are extending the same benefits to domestic partnerships that they provide to married couples.

6.   Baldassare said his statewide surveys show Californians overwhelmingly favor gay rights, from domestic partnership benefits to the ability to serve openly in the military.

7.   Bowman, however, criticized Fong for agreeing to support domestic partnerships, or unions of unmarried people, which he said promote homosexuality.

8.   Bradley said he would support a legal designation for domestic partnerships of gay couples.

9.   A minority of the House expressed dissatisfaction after the committee voted to go the domestic partnership route.

10.   ACLJ spokesman Gene Kapp added the group did not consider domestic partnership benefits an acceptable compromise.