Those include, said McCoy, nondiscrimination laws for gays in housing and employment — "so you can't be fired or kicked out of your apartment for being gay" — rights to visit your partner in the hospital and inherit property and valuables from a deceased partner, among other issues.

McCoy's bill would allow a gay partner to sue in court if his partner is negligently killed, providing the survivor is given that authority in a valid will.

Seelig said her bill will "be a broad approach" of providing a statewide partnership registry, much like Salt Lake City government now offers city residents. Through such a registry, a different kind of family situation can be formally identified.

For example, Seelig has an aging mother and a sister who is losing her eyesight, both of whom may at some point live with her. "It would be great, a real help, if I could get both of them on my health insurance," Seelig said.

"I'm hopeful that the Legislature can move forward" on the rights of all different kinds of families, she said. "We need (in Utah) to help people take care of each other, rather than trying to depend on government, or even churches, to do it for us."

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com