Governor would include same-sex domestic partners of state employees
By Laura Smitherman
February 3, 2009
Gov. Martin O'Malley has proposed extending health care benefits to same-sex partners of state employees, fulfilling a campaign promise to gay-rights activists despite this year's strapped budget.
The Democratic governor's proposal would allow state workers and retirees to add domestic partners and their dependents to health, dental and prescription drug plans, essentially putting gay couples on par with married spouses.
As many as 300 employees in a state work force of more than 70,000 are expected to sign up, at a cost of $1 million to $3 million.
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17 comments:
As a 25 year state employee who is required to "donate" 4 days to the state, I'm not too thrilled that the Governor is taking money from ME to give benefits to non-State employees. It just seems like really poor timing.
Thanks for listening. Your blog is interesting to read on breaks when it's too cold to go out to smoke! : )
I don't care about sexual preferences. However at this time to implement such an expensive decsion may force him to ask state employees to take more furlough days. How is that helping his employees at all?
O'Malley is a dufus who just wants to make everyone happy with not a pot to pee in!
What did O'Malley do before he entered politics? I mean work wise? Clue me in please.
This story once again proves to me that gay marriage is not about gay rights, it's about money and more importantly it's about somebody else's money.
Sand Box John
My problem with this proposal is two-fold. One, it's really not a good economic time to start adding to the state budget. That one's obvious. But secondly, doesn't this now discriminate against straight couples that have lived together and chosen not to marry? How can you give the benefits to a gay couple that's been living together for 6 months, and not give the same benefits to a straight couple that's been together 6 months? Also, how do you determine who's really gay and who's not? Way too many gray areas to make this work. (See "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry".)
The benefits would be for the partners and children of gay state employees. It is not going to anyone who isn't already employed by the State. These gay State employees have been paying into the system all along that allows married State employees to insure their spouses and children. So are you saying it's okay for the Gays to pay into a system they're not allowed to use? I didn't hear any of you complaining when the Gays contributed to the system that supports your lifestyle. If you want to be fair and save the State a fortune, let's just eliminate State health insurance for all spouses and children. I mean, why should your significant other and children be covered if mine cannot? Since we're all paying into this system, either we all get to use it equally, or none of us do. It also works the same way with Social Security and over a thousand other benefits that as taxpayers, the gays pay into and everyone benefits from their tax dollars except the gays.
Anonymous 9:29 - not a good time economically to start this? Okay, then don't use the gays tax dollars to support an insurance system that uses their money for married people's benefits. As for how to discern who is gay and who is straight and living together. The first idea is to let gays get married so this benefit remains for married persons and their families. The second idea is same-sex affidavits that gays already have to have for their property inheritance, their wills, their life insurance and a myriad of other things. There's already a system in place to prove domestic partnership. I didn't expect you to know that if you're not gay and don't have to pay lawyers every time you turn around to protect your property interests.
Anon 9:45 - thank you for clarifying. I did not know that affadavits were needed for all those other things. That makes sense to me, and I apologize if I was insensitive. And I think you're right about allowing gay marriage. I'm all for it. I probably should have clarified that from the start.
Again, I meant no harm. I didn't know that there was a practical way to prove who really should get the benefits and who should not.
I agree with Anon 9:29 as far as the comment on male/female couples who live together being eligible for a "family" type policy instead of having to purchase individual policies which is quite a bit more expensive.
If this happens with the gays, I think all other couples who have been denied joint coverage should scream discrimination even louder than the gays have.
Anon 10:16, sorry, if I ranted a bit. No offense taken. It's just a daily frustration seeing my money go to support programs for other families that my family isn't allowed to benefit from. I also pay double for my family coverage because my partner and I (who are both State employees) can't get family coverage together.
I don't have a problem with theory, you just have to ask where is the money coming from? Further job cuts? Just sounds like a catch 22 situation.
If it puts either of the couple without a job, what is it accomplishing truly? As long as one of them is working discrimination won't be a foundation for losing a job.
How many people will now lie about being gay in order to get benefits for their friends? And what about gay incest my brother needs coverage.
How about if someone had kids and they came out of the closet, would the kids be covered like step children with there new same sex lover?
Can you legally be gay under the age of 18 I think Pelosi funded research to find out in the stimulus package.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SAME-SEX DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP?
To establish a same-sex domestic partnership, you and your partner must satisfy all of the following requirements:
• be the same sex;
• share a close personal
relationship and be responsible
for each other’s welfare;
• have shared the same legal
residence for at least 12 months;
• be at least 18 years old;
• have voluntarily consented to
the relationship, without fraud
or duress;
• not be married to, or in a
domestic partnership with, any
other person;
• not be related by blood or
affinity in a way that would
disqualify them from marriage
under State law if the employee
and partner were opposite sexes;
• be legally competent to
contract; and
• share sufficient financial and
legal obligations (described
below in the section on Required
Evidence).
WHAT EVIDENCE IS REQUIRED FOR SAME-SEX DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP?
You must provide the following:
1) the attached Affidavit For Same-Sex Domestic Partnership signed in the presence of a notary public by both the employee and the employee’s partner under penalty of perjury declaring that they satisfy the requirements of domestic partnership
and;
2) evidence that you and your partner share items described in at least 2 of the following:
• a joint housing lease, mortgage,
or deed;
• joint ownership of a motor
vehicle;
• a joint checking or savings
account;
• designation of the partner as a
primary beneficiary of the
employee’s life insurance,
retirement benefits, or
residuary estate under a will; or
• designation of the partner as
holding a durable power of
attorney for health care
decisions regarding the employee.
Is gay marriage legal in the state of Maryland? You must have accountability somehow.
I think O'Malley should chit or get off the pot. No benefits unless they are legal dependents.
Maryland does not allow same sex marriage. They do not allow civil unions. They don't recognize either of those from other states. The best you can hope for is to meet all the legal requirements to prove you are domestic partners so you don't have to pay an inheritance tax to inherit the other half of your house if your partner dies. You also need to prove domestic partnership for medical directives and medical powers of attorney. For everything else, gays are screwed financially and legally.
I think I'm just not going to get married. It seems like those who do not believe in marriage have more benefits than those who take the honorable route and get married.
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