NJ Governor Sign Civil Unions, Needle Exchange and Gender Identity Bills Into Law

New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signed that state's civil unions bill into law today. The new legislation, which goes into effect in 60 days on February 19, 2007, gives civilly united couples all the state-regulated rights and responsibilities of marriage except for the title "married."

New Jersey will become the third state with a civil unions law (after Connecticutt and Vermont) and the fifth to have statewide recognition of same-sex couples (VT, CT, Massachusetts and California).

In addition, yesterday Corzine signed into law a gender non-discrimination bill (S. 362) which added "gender identity or expression" to New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination as well as a bill (S. 494) that appropriates $10 million dollars to fund needle exchange programs in six different municipalities to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission through injection drug use.