(Lavverrue, Flickr)

(Lavverrue, Flickr)

St. Paul City Council members Dave Thune and Lee Helgen will be introducing a proposal for a domestic partner registry this week. For a $20 fee, couples who cannot marry (and some who wish not to) can get their relationship recognized through a city registry. Proponents say the registry will aid couples, especially same-sex couples, in securing benefits through employers.

“St. Paul is joining the rest of the country in acknowledging and accepting domestic partnerships because we respect and care about all people of the city,” Thune said in a statement.

Minneapolis has had such a registry since the early 1990s, and Duluth passed a similar law earlier this year. More than 80 municipalities in the United States offer such a service.