[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Harrisburg 12-22-2008 by Ord. No.
13-2008. Amendments noted where applicable.]
When a declarant is a patient in any health care facility operating
within the City, such health care facility shall allow the other life
partner the same policies, rights and privileges of visitation as
are granted to a married spouse or parent. A dependant of a registered
life partnership shall have the same visitation rights as a patient's
child.
Employers located within the City may request verification of
life partner status to facilitate the provision of benefits which
meet the goals of this Part 2 for its employees. The City Clerk shall
cooperate with such requests.
When used in any residential lease, rental agreement or other
contract for the possession or use of leased residential real estate
located within the City, the definition of the term "family" shall
be interpreted to include within a person's family a life partner.
When the term "family" is used in such an agreement and includes within
its scope the parents, children or other blood relatives of a spouse,
the term shall also include the parents, dependants or other blood
relatives of the person with whom the individual has filed a declaration
of life partnership in the City registry. This section shall not affect
any laws of the United States or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
regarding real estate.
An employer located within the City which allows an employee
bereavement leave for the death of a spouse, child or parent shall
allow employees the same terms of leave for life partners and dependants
of a life partnership.
A.Â
Proof of life partner registration. Any employer covered by this
section may require its employees to submit proof of registration
of their life partner status. A certified copy of a declaration of
life partnership which has been issued by the City Clerk must be accepted
as such proof.[1]
B.Â
Application to public entities. Since the City itself is an employer
in the City, to the full extent allowed by law, this section shall
apply with full force and effect to the City and any of its newly
created authorities. This section shall not apply to any other public
entity, including but not limited to the United States, the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, and the County of Dauphin.
All health care benefits available to the spouse and dependants
of a married City of Harrisburg employee shall also be available to
an employee's life partner and/or any dependants of an employee's
life partnership. This section shall not apply to any private employer
located within the City nor to any other public entity, including
but not limited to the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
and the County of Dauphin.
A.Â
Legal effect of declaration of life partnership. A declaration of
life partnership will create no legal rights or duties from one declarant
to the other except those legal rights and duties specified in this
chapter or other ordinances or resolutions of the Harrisburg City
Council which specifically refer to declarations of life partnership
in the Life Partnership Registry or as otherwise permitted pursuant
to the laws of any other jurisdiction. Nothing in this chapter shall
affect legal rights and duties which the declarants agree in a legally
enforceable writing they will owe to each other and which are not
otherwise prohibited by this or any other applicable law or regulation.
B.Â
Enforcement. Disputes arising under or concerning this chapter shall
first be submitted to mediation with the Harrisburg Human Relations
Commission. If mediation is unsuccessful, this chapter may be enforced
by civil action. This chapter shall not be construed to require the
City or the City Solicitor to enforce its provisions.
