WASHINGTON – The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) in the House and Sens. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in the Senate, would provide benefits for same-sex domestic partners of federal civilian employees on the same basis as spousal benefits. These benefits would include retirement programs, life and health insurance benefits, and family and medical leave.
“This bill embodies the simple principle that equal work deserves equal pay,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Thousands of LGBT people serve our country every day as federal civil servants, yet their families cannot receive the same important benefits that their straight coworkers’ do. This is not simply a matter of fairness; it is also a way to ensure that the federal government recruits and retains the best and the brightest.”
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