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 Anti-Gay Benefits Bill Dies In Kentucky
Legislature
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(Frankfort, Kentucky) Legislation to
prohibit publicly funded universities and colleges from extending domestic
partner benefits to families of faculty and staff has been narrowly defeated in
committee.
The House Health and Welfare Committee
voted 8-8. Under the rules a tie vote results in a defeat.
Bipartisan supporters of the bill said they have
not given up. They said they will attempt to revive the matter later in
the session, when ends this month. If they are unsuccessful they said they
will bring it back next year.
Nevertheless the statewide LGBT group Kentucky
Fairness Alliance said it was pleased with the committee defeat.
"I'm optimistic about the fact that fairness prevailed," said
Christina Gilgor, the executive director of Kentucky Fairness. "It
wasn't the overwhelming victory that we would have liked, but it's a
victory."
The bill was prepared after the University of
Louisville decided in July to offer the benefits - making it the first publicly
funded college in the state to do so. (story)
The University of Kentucky board of trustees is
expected to vote on a plan to give health insurance to domestic partners this
spring. A university committee has recommended approval. Northern Kentucky
University also is considering a similar plan.
If the legislation should resurface and pass at
least one gay couple, University of Louisville professor Gina
Bertocci and her partner, Dr. Karen Frost, are prepared to leave the state.
Bertocci, who holds the endowed chair of
biomechanics, has a $4.5 million grant to study wheelchair transportation
safety. She told the Herald-Leader newspaper that she would have taken the grant
with her to another university outside of Kentucky.
"There's no way I would have done my research here," Bertocci
told the paper.
©365Gay.com 2007
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