Nevada Senate backs partnership bill over gov

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) " The Nevada Senate has voted to override Gov. Jim Gibbons' veto of a measure that gives domestic partners, whether gay or straight, many of the rights and benefits that Nevada offers to married couples.

The 14-7 Senate vote Saturday " the required two-thirds majority with no votes to spare " must be affirmed by the Assembly to enact the measure into law over the governor's objections.

The bill provides that domestic partners have the same rights as married couples in matters such as community property and responsibility for debts.

Critics contended domestic partners can sign private contracts to accomplish many of the goals of the bill, and that it conflicted with the intent of Nevadans who voted in 2002 for a constitutional amendment supporting marriage between a man and a woman.