The California domestic partner law makes large state contracts contingent on offering employees the same benefits for their domestic partners as for spouses.

It was signed by Gov. Gray Davis in October 2003, one week after losing a recall election but does not take effect until 2007.

According to Geoff Kors, an advocate of the law, no other US state has a similar law. Kors is executive director of Equality California.

The city of San Francisco has had a similar law since 1996.

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