September 27, 2006   LIEBERMAN, SMITH PROPOSE BENEFITS FOR DOMESTIC PARTNERS Federal Governmetn Should be Leading, Not Following Private Sector, State and Local Governments   Senators Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., introduced legislation Wednesday to extend domestic partner benefits to federal employees. Under the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act, a federal employee and same-sex domestic partner unrelated by blood and living together in a committed intimate relationship would be eligible to participate in 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 also assume the same obligations that apply to married employees and their spouses, such as anti-nepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements. Based on the experience of private companies and state and local governments, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that offering benefits for same-sex domestic partners of federal employees would increase the cost of those programs by less than one half of one percent. Senator Lieberman said, “This bill is very affordable but more importantly, it is the right thing to do. Many leading employers, including my home state of Connecticut provide benefits to domestic partners. It’s time for the federal government to catch up as extending benefits to domestic partners is fair and will help federal agencies compete for the most qualified personnel.” Senator Smith added: “Federal workers should be able to extend their benefits to loved ones. 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 8000 private-sector companies make benefits available to employees’ domestic partners, as do several hundred state and local governments and colleges and universities. Among top corporations that provide such benefits are General Electric, Chevron, Boeing, Texas Instruments, Hospital Corporation of America, Lockheed Martin, Duke Energy Corp., and BellSouth. In addition, the governments of 13 states, including Connecticut and Oregon, and 139 cities and towns provide benefits to domestic partners of employees. In surveys, employers report that they cover domestic partners to boost recruitment and retention of employees, as well as to be fair. Senators Lieberman and Smith pointed out that the federal government is in competition with these same companies and state and local governments for qualified personnel, yet federal agencies cannot match the domestic-partner benefits offered by major non-federal employers.   ###   Printable Version   « previous Press Release next Press Release »   1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 September 2006 Press Releases   September 29 - FEMA Reinvention Clears Congress   September 29 - Lieberman Condemns Lack of Funding for Transit Security for Transit Security as Significant Port Security Bill Moves Forward   September 27 current Press Release   September 27 - DHS Lacks Adequate Controls for Interagency Contracting   September 25 - Dodd, Lieberman Announce Port, Transit Security Grants for Connecticut   September 22 - Lieberman Calls Chemical Security Agreement Far From Complete   September 21 - Lieberman Regrets Loss of "Historic Opportunity" for Bipartisan Immigration Refrom   September 19 - Senate Homeland Security Committee Hearing Examines Terrorist Recruitment in U.S. Prisons   September 19 - Lieberman Hails Report on Threat of Homegrown Terror in Prisons   September 18 - House-Senate Negotiators Reach Agreement on Collins-Lieberman FEMA, Hurricane Katrina Legislation   September 15 - Lieberman Flags Connecticut Benefits in Port Security Bill   September 15 - Lieberman Sets Future Priorities for Homeland Security   September 13 - Lieberman Hails Rail, Transit Security Improvements   September 12 - Senator Lieberman Urges Passage of Port Security Bill   September 12 - Homeland Security: The Next Five Years   September 11 - Lieberman Calls for Leadership on Post 9/11 Security   September 11 - Senators Collins, Lieberman and Durbin Call for Long-Overdue Implementation Plan for the Information Sharing Environment   September 8 - Senate Approves Bill to Bring More Transparency to Federal Spending   September 6 - Collins, Lieberman Highlight National Preparedness Month
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510