Equal Employment Benefits for LGBT Federal Employees Clears Senate Committee
Today, millions of federal employees and their families are one step closer to receiving much needed benefits that will keep them healthy and secure. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted in favor of the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO), a bill that would extend critical benefits, including health care, employer-based retirement savings accounts, and tax-saving flexible spending accounts, to the same-sex domestic partners and children of federal employees. Similar legislation cleared the U.S House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on November 18, which readies the legislation for future action in both chambers.
Congressional movement of equal benefits legislation is a welcome follow up to President Obama’s Oval Office signing of a Presidential Memorandum in June of this year, which Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler attended on behalf of Family Equality Council’s supporters, extending to federal employees the limited number of benefits allowed under current law, which excludes health care benefits.
The denial of these benefits to LGBT federal employees causes daily harm to their families, putting them at greater risk in the event of illness and death, risking their children’s health and welfare, and relegating their families to second-class status. Yesterday’s vote is an important step and Family Equality Council looks forward to continuing to push the Administration and Congress to make this and other legislation valuing all families a priority. As always, we will not stop until we have full equality for the hundreds of thousands of LGBT families, especially those raising children, in this country.
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