Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy

Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,

On The Introduction Of The Domestic Partnership

Benefits And Obligations Act Of 2007

December 19, 2007

 

I am proud to cosponsor the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007, being introduced today by Senators Lieberman and Smith.  I cosponsored this legislation in the last Congress and I am pleased to do so again.

 

This important legislation would provide domestic partners of Federal employees the same protections and benefits afforded to spouses of Federal employees.  These benefits, available for both same and opposite-sex domestic partners of Federal employees, would include participation in applicable retirement programs, compensation for work injuries and insurance benefits, including life, Family and Medical Leave and health insurance. 

 

Equal pay for equal work is a cornerstone of our country’s bedrock principles, and so too should equal access to important benefits.  Insurance benefits, work incentives and retirement options comprise a significant portion of all employee compensation.  By not offering domestic partnership benefits to its employees, the Federal government is unfairly withholding these valuable options from dedicated employees across the country.

 

The idea that benefits should be extended to same sex couples has become increasingly prevalent in America’s largest and most successful companies, state and local governments, and in educational institutions.  Over half of all Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits to their employees, up from just 25 percent in 2000.  Offering domestic partnership benefits to Federal employees would improve the quality of its workforce, demonstrate its commitment to fairness and equality for all Americans, and bring the government in line with some of the nation’s largest employers.

 

Providing benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees is long overdue.  It is the right thing to do, it is the sensible step to take in the interest of having a fair and consistent policy, and I hope that the Senate will act quickly on this important legislation.

 

# # # # #