Starting today, same-sex and non-married domestic partners can register with Dane County to assure that they get benefits available that the county, as of today, requires many of its contractors to provide.

The Dane County Board created the registry and the requirement for domestic partner benefits by a 25-9 vote in September.

"What I've heard is that people here are happy that it's an option," said Sup. Chuck Erickson, of Madison, who was a leading sponsor of the measure. He said he could not estimate how many people would register with the county as domestic partners.

Erickson said the starting date of the registry and the requirement for county contractors is especially significant in light of recent events — the passage of a constitutional measure in November in California that bans same-sex marriage and Wisconsin's own constitutional amendment that passed in 2006.

"It just shows that in Dane County we believe in equality and don't put up with discrimination in any form," he said. "We're not going to discriminate against anyone."

Under the ordinance, contractors who get a contract with the county worth more than $5,000 now have to offer domestic partner benefits. It does not apply to companies that sell goods to Dane County. The county already offers the benefit to its employees.

The ordinance also penalizes firms that mislead about providing domestic partnership benefits in order to secure a county contract, said Sup. Kyle Richmond, of Madison, who also co-sponsored the ordinance. Penalties include termination or withholding of payments on a contract and a ban on future bidding for county contracts.

The ordinance also includes a "cash equivalency" option that allows companies that don't usually provide domestic partner benefits to bid on county work if they are willing to give employees with domestic partners an amount of cash to cover the cost of health benefits for an employee's partner.

To register, domestic partners must be in a committed relationship for at least 90 days and share responsibility for one another's welfare. The measure applies to same-sex and opposite-sex partners.

It costs $35 to file a form at the Dane County clerk's office declaring a domestic partnership. If a partnership ends, it must be reported to the county clerk. The end of the partnership must also be reported to any contractor who has been providing domestic partnership benefits.