More Lawmakers Support Benefits To Same Sex Partners

More lawmakers are supporting a bill to open federal employees' benefits to their same-sex partners. Twenty senators — all Democrats — have signed onto legislation from the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee leaders. The lone Republican sponsor is Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). She said the government competes for job applicants with companies that offer domestic partners benefits. Federal personnel officials told a health insurance company last week to enroll the partner of a gay federal worker right away. But that decision applied to just one person: the wife of Karen Golinski, who had brought a lawsuit.