A panel in
Arizona, where voters once turned down a constitutional ban
on gay marriage, approved a plan Tuesday to provide
taxpayer-subsidized health coverage for the domestic
partners of state employees and retirees.
A panel in
Arizona, where voters once turned down a constitutional ban
on gay marriage, approved a plan Tuesday to provide
taxpayer-subsidized health coverage for the domestic
partners of state employees and retirees.
The Governor's
Regulatory Review Council, which has the final say over
many agencies' proposed rules, voted 4–0 to approve
changes floated by the Department of Administration,
with support from Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat.
Some Republican legislators opposed the move.
Dependents of
domestic partners also will qualify. Employees will be able
to sign up for benefits as of October 1.
Supporters said
providing benefits to partners and their dependents would
help the state reduce costly turnover by being more
competitive in recruitment and retention. Napolitano,
among others, has argued that it was a question of
fairness.
In her first year
in office, Napolitano issued an executive order banning
sexual orientation–based discrimination in state
personnel practices.
Critics said the
benefits rule changes would undermine the institution of
marriage, burden the state with added costs at a time of
budget trouble, and by doing it through rule changes,
trample the legislature's policy-making role.
The state senate
last month narrowly rejected a Republican measure to
block the move through changing state law to define
''dependent'' as a spouse or unmarried child of an
employee or retiree.
There are about
65,000 state employees and 9,000 state retirees in
Arizona. According to state estimates, the number of
partners likely to be covered ranges from 317 to 853.
Arizona voters
made their state in 2006 the only one to ever defeat a
constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. At least
15 other states already provide domestic-partner
benefits. (AP)
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