STORM2K

The Dallas Morning News wrote:City urged to share benefits with same-sex couples

By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News

The partners of gay and lesbian Dallas city workers would become eligible for benefits, such as health insurance, under a plan Mayor Pro Tem John Loza plans to present in August to the City Council.

While Mr. Loza hasn't finalized details of the plan, he said he wants to extend the same benefits the city allows for employees' spouses to employees' gay and lesbian domestic partners.

The plan would not include live-in partners of heterosexual employees, he added. Heterosexual partners have the option of getting married, Mr. Loza said, emphasizing that same-sex couples do not.

"This is a question of fundamental fairness," he said. "It makes a statement that we value all of our employees."

But some council members are asking whether an increase in benefits is a good value for the city as a whole.

As the City Council begins budget negotiations next month, Dallas is facing a $7.6 million estimated shortfall and must balance its budget.

"The policy is fine. We should do it," Mayor Laura Miller said by phone while vacationing. "But I do want to know what the fiscal implications are. I can't support anything right now that has a fiscal impact."

Mr. Loza recently asked City Manager Mary Suhm to investigate the financial impact of the benefits, and Ms. Suhm said this week that she is doing so.

Under Mr. Loza's plan, the city would not subsidize the benefits for partners of gay and lesbian city employees, just as it does not subsidize spousal benefits. There may be "very small costs" tied to the proposed benefits, Mr. Loza said.

It's time the City Council at least considers the issue, council member Bill Blaydes said, though he, too, expressed concern over whether the new benefits would further drain a nearly tapped-out city treasury.

Large North Texas-based businesses and government institutions such as American Airlines, Electronic Data Systems Corp., Perot Systems, Southwest Airlines and Texas Instruments offer various degrees of domestic partner benefits to employees.

On the government side, Texas' state government and many sizable municipalities do not offer domestic partner benefits, while Travis County and the city of Austin do.

Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance president Erin Moore said she's glad the council plans to debate the issue.

"Until gays and lesbians can marry, we have no [legal] safeguards, and this is something as basic as being able to visit your partner in the hospital," Ms. Moore said.

Should the city have considered this issue years ago?

"It's easy to say that," Ms. Moore said. "But anytime we get benefits and rights, it's a good day."

Mr. Loza said he hasn't polled his council colleagues, but he added, "I'm hopeful I can get the votes."

GalvestonDuck wrote:*tickles Scroogeboy*

This is one of those things with which I disagree. Just HOW in the world can employers go around giving benefits to "partners?" Who's to say that "partner" won't be someone new eight months from the time a policy was issued? If unmarried straight couples can't get health insurance for each other, why should ANY unmarried couple? Next thing you know, best friends will list each other as "partners" in order to get the uninsured one coverage.

This can only make health care premiums (yours, mine, gay or straight) go through the roof because every Tom, Dick, and Larry is gonna be covered now.

There's a silly joke -- "Q: What does a L------ (gay woman) take on a second date? A: A U-Haul." (The punch line is supposed to refer to how gay women tend to be too quick to jump into "living together" with a newfound partner.) If that's true, women will be signing up their partners for health insurance within the first week of dating.

Yup, you guessed it...I am NOT with the rainbow crowd on this issue.

GalvestonDuck wrote:Yup, but we disagree on the big picture.