I wanted to draw attention to a couple other websites for the original poster. First, there is the Minneapolis Domestic Partners Registration info site:

http://www.cyfc.umn.edu/Diversity/Gay/domesticord.html

I mention this, because the trend for government institutions who are now offering domestic partnership benefits to their employees are (of course) requiring some sort of certification process for their employees living in domestic partnership arrangements.

Then, there is Alternatives to Marriage Project

http://www.unmarried.org/res.html

I mentioned this excellent web site in the other thread I started titled "Alternative to Marriage Resources".

I am also including in the following post, an article from the Boston Globe back in 1998, which addresses the very issue our original poster raised--the question of domestic partner benefits for state workers. I found the link to this article at the Alternatives to Marriage Project website.

Hope this is some help to Rustic Rebel, and others who are living in or considering changing to an alternative to marriage type relationship.