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发帖数: 4174 | 1 Posted on Advocate.com November 18, 2011 08:58:30 PM ET
Bill to Give Federal Workers DP Benefits Introduced
By Trudy Ring
Legislation was introduced today in the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives to provide for domestic-partner benefits for federal
government employees.
Independent senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Republican Susan
Collins of Maine introduced the bill in the Senate, as they have in previous
sessions. Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is one of the four
openly gay members of the House, and Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of
Florida introduced it in that chamber.
“The federal government must set an example as an equal opportunity
employer,” Baldwin said in a press release. “If we are to treat all
federal employees fairly and recruit the best and the brightest to serve in
government, we need this legislation.”
The bill would allow federal employees and their same-sex domestic partners
to participate in federal retirement, life insurance, health, workers’
compensation, and family and medical leave benefits to the same extent as
married employees and their spouses. They would also be subject to the same
antinepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements that apply to
married heterosexual workers.
The sponsors noted that nearly 60% of Fortune 500 companies now offer health
benefits to employee’s domestic partners, as do 18 state governments and
at least 150 municipalities. A Washington Post article earlier this week
noted that gay federal employees do not enjoy many of the benefits of their
private-sector counterparts.
The Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents the federal government from
recognizing same-sex marriages, has kept the military from extending full
benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian service members. The Post
reports that the sponsors of the domestic-partner bill did not address how
the legislation would deal with DOMA. However, DOMA is being challenged in
court, and the Obama administration is not defending it; also, an effort to
repeal it is under way in Congress. |
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