DP Bill for Federal Workers Introduced
The Advocate
By Julie Bolcer
May 21, 2009

Legislation was introduced in Congress on Wednesday to give the domestic partners of federal employees the same benefits, and require of them the same obligations, as the spouses of federal employees. The Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 was introduced by Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in the Senate, and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) in the House.

Under the legislation, the same-sex domestic partners of federal employees living in a committed relationship would be eligible for benefits such as health care, long-term care, family and medical leave, and federal retirement benefits. Domestic partners would also be subject to the same responsibilities as the spouses of federal employees, such as financial disclosure requirements and anti-nepotism policies.

The legislation aims to help the federal government attract and retain talent by offering benefits on par with the corporate sector. More than half of all Fortune 500 companies and more than 10,000 other private sector companies already provide benefits to domestic partners.

“Extending benefits to the domestic partners of federal employees is more than a matter of fairness,” said Representative Baldwin, co-chair of the congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, in a joint statement about the bill. “As a majority of Fortune 500 companies have already demonstrated, equality and diversity in the workplace boost productivity and help attract and keep the most qualified employees.”

The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that more than 30,000 federal employees live in committed relationships with same-sex domestic partners who do not work for the federal government.

Identical legislation was introduced in the last Congress by Senator Lieberman, former senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), and 20 cosponsors in the Senate, and Representative Baldwin and 90 cosponsors in the House.