Friday, July 3, 2009

LGBT Rights Added To In Nevada

When the Nevada Senate and Assembly overrode Gov. Jim Gibbons veto of the Domestic Partnership bill proponents had to make the inclusion of health benefits a voluntary action on the part of the employer and not mandatory, to avoid a fiscal provision on the bill, which would have killed it. This meant that the state was not required to offer health benefits to its employees.

Yesterday, however the Public Employees’ Benefits Program Board voted 5-3 to extend benefits to domestic partners although domestic partners will have to pay the full monthly coverage rate of $760 without any subsidy. This is because the legislature refused to approve $3.7 million in additional funds to the state budget to cover subsidies for domestic partners. Subsidies are provided to all other spouses of state employees, reducing their costs to around $200 per month.

It is a step in the right direction, and hopefully Nevada will keep fighting until we have full equal rights.


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