Federal employment benefits for whom?
A lot of cooks are stirring the pot these days, trying to cook up more inclusive federal employment benefits. I’m hoping they’ll ultimately dish out a truly satisfying dish that allows federal employees to define and take care of their own families.
Most recently, President Obama hinted that he’d let same-sex partners share benefits via executive order. AtMP members reacted quickly and strongly, sending him over 110 emails saying
All federal employees should be allowed to put one adult on their health plan along with their children. At a minimum, benefits should go to both different-sex and same-sex partners of government employees.
In fact, Obama changed only a few rules, not touching the big prize: the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
The executive branch believes it does not have the right to broaden the definition of family in its personnel policies.
The legislative branch has proposed both sweeping and targeted expansions. The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act was re-introduced in both House and Senate in May. It would give same-sex partners blanket access to everything that spouses get. A more specific bill addresses benefits for foreign service officers.
The judicial branch is handling a case in which federal employees who married their same-sex partners in MA are suing for spousal benefits. Back in February a court decided in favor of a federal employee’s suit for benefits for his same-sex partner.
So far, all three branches look to be cooking up a thin broth that will be tasty only to people in same-sex married or marriage-like relationships. AtMP calls on all decision-makers, whether executive, legislative or judicial, to recognize that the real problem is treating conjugal (romantic, sex-based) relationships differently from all the other relationships in federal employee’s lives. We’d like to propose the Sergio A. Olaya Equal Benefits for All Employees Act, by which all federal employees would be allowed to put one non-dependent adult on their benefits plan along with their dependents. (And, we’d like to propose single-payer, truly universal health care!)
June 30th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
[...] together voices that are calling for moving away from the single focus on same-sex marriage. The other describes a recent action alert that went to AtMP members calling on Obama to go beyond supporting [...]