LANSING, Mich. — A pair of measures is due for consideration and a vote in the Michigan House of Representatives on Thursday that would eliminate health care benefits for unmarried partners of public employees.
The language contained in both measures specifically prohibits any state government entity in Michigan from providing the health care benefits, and would also prohibit unions from including similar benefits in collective bargaining agreements.
According to the advocacy group Equality Michigan, Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville) and the State Attorney General, Bill Schuette, both of whom have publicly stated their opposition to LGBTQ equality rights, have been trying to strip away health care benefits for same-sex couples since February.
The Michigan Civil Service Commission in a ruling in January of this year, had extended health care benefits for other eligible adults who live with state employees. The proposed bills — House Bills 4770 and 4771 — would not only eliminate this extension, but go further to prohibit other entities, like public universities and city governments, from providing such benefits.
Pro-equality advocates are outraged. They say that lawmakers have consistently attacked gay and transgender citizens throughout the year.
“These bills are yet another desperate attack on our community. Radical lawmakers are attempting to interfere with local employment policy and weaken working families’ ability to care for their loved ones. They are trying to codify their anti-gay biases into law. It’s simply intolerable and voters should be furious,” said Emily Dievendorf, the Director of Policy for Equality Michigan, in a statement.
“Tens of thousands of public and private employees in our state have access to health care benefits for unmarried partners. Policies that provide such benefits are used throughout the country to treat employees fairly and retain talented workers. Leaders from Fortune 500 companies, public school districts, and municipal governments across the country know that their workforces are stronger when employees are able to take care of their families. Passage of these bills would help run our state into the ground.
“We call on the House to vote these bills down immediately and send a message that lawmakers value fundamental fairness, strong working families, and a healthy workforce.”
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Filed under: Michigan
makes me ashamed to live hear with what Snyder has been doing to us.
Makes my stomach turn just reading these words. Hateful decisions do not benefit anyone.
i’m angry. I wrote my state rep today urging him to vote no. his response? “With the Michigan economy still in recovery, and taxpayers requiring accountability for the money that governments spend, health and fringe benefits provided to unrelated live-in roommates of employees is a luxury which Michigan can no longer afford.” I didn’t vote for him and i sure as heck won’t vote for him next time he runs.
Snyder is NOT a good Governor. This is sad.
Unrelated live-in roommate? PATHETIC!
This is why my husband and I moved to Boston. Here, the state respects us and protects our rights (gay people are a protected minority in Massachusetts).
I was going to say the same, Tiffany. What a terrible choice of words. Pathetic is right!
Michigan’s unemployment rate is closing in on 12%. Reducing or eliminating social safety nets (food assistance, cash assistance, child care assistance, housing assistance, etc) would cause crime to increase and there’d be more homeless people and the housing crisis would get worse.
Great – this is probably because Chaz Bono is on DWTS?
kick there but
Can we instead eliminate health insurance for bigoted, willfully ignorant, hateful state legislators?
New Hampshire advances and Michigan threatens to return to the dark ages. WTF???
More reason for gays to get married – bring it on you fools – Hullo USA while you worry about Islam mixing politics and religion you might want to take a moment to see you are doing the same; just because it is christian based does not make it any better or moral. Geez guys lay off. JES
AZ Supreme Court just said that it’s unconstitutional to deny benefits for unmarried couples because it targets a specific group for discrimination.
I would make a law banning gay marriage just to piss off you self absorbed assholes. “Love and tolerance”, until someone disagrees with me. Then they’re a bigoted homophobic racist neocon stuck in the dark ages. Fuck the people on the other side of the planet dying of starvation and war, I need marriage and people to take my whiny overrated lifestyle seriously! I’ll gather hoards of trolls to attack furries, ABDLs, and even transgender people (don’t lie, you think we’re weird). But the moment someone makes fun of me, I yell hate and homophobia! Hypocrites that’s all 90% of you are on here. The moment we can truly start thinking of others than ourselves, the closer we get to accomplishing something.
Snyder can go fuck himself, can’t believe I live in this state. Good news is it’s close to Canada incase if any of the Dark Aged Republican candidates get into office in 2012.
I thought MI ruled that they could drop benefits for unmarried partners
Err… Wow… Now people are forced to marry for healthcare coverage… Erm… No comment…
This same thing happened in Arizona. Governor Jan Brewer stripped health benefits to state employees here to their partners due to the “budget crisis” and said it was to save the state money. A court recently ruled this was unconstitutional and it was a direct attack on those individuals rights. The judges reasoning was also that it accounted for less than 1% of the states total budget. Michigan residents look this info up and send it to your representatives and see how they respond then. STAND UP FOR EQUALITY!
Note the political trend in using the phrase ‘unmarried partners’. GOPers have a truly high sleeeeeeeze factor.
And of course, they won’t let LGBT people marry who they want. When it comes down to it, they’re just concerned with money & fucking over the common people so they can hold their feudal estates.
dumb dumb
@ Chaz your an ass; maybe that is the problem. The US is spending too much of its time and money helping other countries when maybe the focus should be at home- our debt and our economy. Rather than all these teabaggers wasting time and the tax payers $$ on fighting against LGBT people. How about these tea baggers spend a little more time fixing the economy. Self absorbed- Look in the mirrow buddy. This is about human rights and equality.
Justice for all……………get a clue!
why would they do this??? it doesnt make any sense what is wrong with letting people marry and what is wrong with letting people have their benefits?? smh this gives me a headache…
how stupid
Teabaggers/Republicans !
Can’t believe I live in this backwards state!
This had better not go through, or else I will lose all pride I have in my state…
if i could just piss acid….