(20) "Interested person" includes heirs, devisees, children, spouses, domestic partners, creditors, beneficiaries and any others having a property right in or claim against a trust estate or the estate of a decedent, ward or protected person which that may be affected by the proceeding. It also includes persons having priority for appointment as personal representative, and other fiduciaries representing interested persons. For purposes of this subsection, "domestic partners" are persons that bear the same relationship to each other as do persons meeting the requirements set forth in Title 24, section 2319-A, subsection 1. In any proceeding or hearing under Article V, 5 affecting a trust estate or estate, when the ward or protected person has received benefits from the Veterans Administration within 3 years, the Administator administrator of Veterans Affairs of the United States shall be is an "interested person." The meaning as it relates to particular persons may vary from time to time and must be determined according to the particular purposes of, and matter involved in, any proceeding.

Sec. 4. 18-A MRSA §2-102, as enacted by PL 1979, c. 540, §1, is amended to read:

§2-102. Share of spouse or domestic partner

The intestate share of the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner is:

(1) If there is no surviving issue or parent of the decedent, the entire intestate estate:;

(2) If there is no surviving issue but the decedent is survived by a parent or parents, the first $50,000, plus 1/2 of the balance of the intestate estate;

(3) If there are surviving issue all of whom are issue of the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner also, the first $50,000, plus 1/2 of the balance of the intestate estate; or

(4) If there are surviving issue one or more of whom are not issue of the surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner, 1/2 of the intestate estate.

For purposes of this section, "domestic partner" means a person that bears the same relationship to the decedent as a person meeting the requirements in Title 24, section 2319-A, subsection 1 bears to a subscriber or member.