On February 1, 2011 Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 1716 (
PA 96-1513) into law. The law allows for any 2 unmarried people to enter into a Civil Union and further allows that union would be treated the same as a marriage in the state of Illinois. The law goes into effect June 1, 2011.
This law does not grant any further rights or diminish any rights currently allowed under the Code. It merely expands the persons eligible to receive those benefits.
Partners of a Civil Union will be eligible for among other things, health benefits and surviving spouse annuity benefits in the respect as a spouse of a marriage. Any of our forms that ask for “spouse” will, by definition in this law, include the partner of a Civil Union. Where we require a Marriage License to support some administrative action we will now accept a Civil Union License.