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Smith Advocates Domestic Partner Benefits for Federal Employees
Legislation would put federal government on par with a majority of Fortune 500 |
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September 27th, 2006 - WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) have introduced legislation that would extend domestic partner benefits to federal employees. The bill is similar to the Oregon law that extends domestic partner benefits to state workers.
“Federal workers should be able to extend their benefits to loved ones,” Smith said. “It’s a matter of fairness and I think the government should be leading the way rather than following. I believe we need to rid the workplace of discrimination, not just in hiring decisions, but also in the rights and privileges afforded employees.”
More than 13 states, 139 cities and towns and over 8,000 private-sector companies make domestic partner benefits available to their employees. Today, a majority of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits. These companies include GE, Chevron, Boeing, Texas Instruments, Hospital Corporation of America, Lockheed Martin, Duke Energy Corp., and BellSouth. Surveys show that private corporations provide domestic partner benefits in an effort to recruit and retain employees.
The Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act extends a federal employee’s benefits to his or her same-sex domestic partner. Benefits may include federal retirement benefits, life insurance, health benefits, workers’ compensation, long-term care insurance, the Family and Medical Leave program, as well as dental and vision benefits. Such employees and their domestic partners would assume some of the same obligations as married employees and their spouses, such as anti-nepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that offering benefits for same-sex domestic partners of federal employees would increase costs by less than one-half of one percent.
In June 2005, Senator Smith introduced the Domestic Partner Health Benefits Equity Act (S. 1360). This legislation would end the taxation of domestic partners employer-provided health care benefits. This change would provide domestic partners with the same benefits as married couples who are not taxed on the value health benefits. Senator Smith introduced the same legislation in October of 2003 and was the leading cosponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
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