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 Kentucky Lawmakers To Consider Gay Partner
Benefits Ban In Special Session
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 3, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Frankfort, Kentucky) Kentucky Gov. Ernie
Fletcher is calling for a special session of the legislature and said Tuesday he
wants it to consider a new attempt to ban domestic partner insurance at state
run colleges and public agencies.
Legislation to prohibit publicly funded
universities and colleges from extending domestic partner benefits to families
of faculty and staff was narrowly defeated last march in committee.
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 later followed also offering health benefits to same-sex
domestic partners.
No date has been set for recalling lawmakers.
State Sen. Ernesto Scorsone (D) the state's only
openly gay legislator is accusing Fletcher of "trying to score
political points by hurting people."
"It's clear what he's doing here on the
call, and, quite frankly, it's sad we have a governor who is a doctor and he's
trying to keep people from buying health insurance," Scorsone told the
Herald-Leader newspaper.
But House Minority Whip Stan Lee (R) who
introduced the original bill to ban domestic partner benefits said he's glad the
governor is stepping to give the legislature a second chance.
Lee, a candidate for attorney general, downplayed
the political motivations of adding the issue to the call sheet.
"I always believe you do the right thing and
politics will take care of themselves, and this is the right thing to do, "
he told the paper.
Last month current Attorney General Greg Stumbo
issued a legal opinion that the university plans would violate the state's
constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Stumbo's non binding opinion suggested that the
only way of providing health benefits to the partners of unmarried employees
would be to make it all inclusive for any dependent living with a university
employee.
The attorney general in releasing the opinion
said that if the university did not expand the program, and stuck to providing
benefits to unmarried couples, he would take the university to court.
Following that the University of Kentucky
expanded its benefits plan to include all dependants who reside with university
workers. (story)
©365Gay.com 2007
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