Thursday, July 12, 2007

Kentucky Senate Passes Ban on Domestic-Partner Benefits.

As most of you probably know, the Senate passed a bill to ban domestic-partner benefits at all Kentucky public institutions.

Senate Bill 5 (passed 28-6): Create a new section of KRS Chapter 61 to define a "public agency" as any agency participating in a state-administered retirement system or plan, any agency participating in the state health insurance plan, and any public institution subject to KRS Chapter 164; define "family member" as the employee's spouse, natural or adopted children, stepchildren, and children for whom legal guardianship has been awarded; require public agencies to allow the employee to select health insurance coverage for only the employee and family members of the employee.

Amend to make technical changes; add grandchildren for whom legal guardianship or legal custody has been awarded to the definition of "family member"; declare an EMERGENCY.


It remains to be seen what the House of Representatives will do with Senate Bill 5 when and if it makes its way to the House after the "cooling off period."

Fletcher's appeal to his right wing ultra-conservative voters appears to be paying off. Hasting Wyman's Southern Political Report released a poll conducted by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion showing Democrat Steve Beshear with a 41 percent to 38 percent lead over Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher.


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

burn frankfort down!

Anonymous said...

Not surprised but still pissed!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow…it's amazing I even have a job, let alone insurance and health care. But what about all those people without a job, without insurance, without health coverage? Are they any less deserving then me – just because they're less privileged? Who's taking care of them?

Anonymous said...

Well you know they can pass anything they want if the house dont come back after the 3 weeks then there is nothing that can be done about it that is what I think is so funny...people call your Reps for the house tell them not to come back to Frankfort and that will be a win on our side...but even if the house comes back they are not going to pass the bill...I am sure of that...

Anonymous said...

sodomy and homosexuality becoming a national trend.

Anonymous said...

i'd like to choke slam lil Ernie.

Anonymous said...

90% of employers that provide DP benefits make them available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples! They are so stupid! They are making healthcare un-available to so many people by doing something so dumb.

Anonymous said...

The movement toward domestic partnership benefits in the workplace is rooted in the egalitarian principal that equal work warrants equal pay, including employment benefits. For many employees, those benefits can amount to more than 25 percent of their total compensation. So when employers extend benefits to employees with opposite-sex spouses, the same benefits should go to employees with a same-sex partner.

Domestic partner benefits owes its existence to the fact that America is the only industrialized nation in the the world that doers not have universal health care, and the fact that same-sex couples have been forbidden legal marriage. Domestic partner benefits are a stop-gap measure.

Anonymous said...

While domestic partnership benefits are a worthy goal, they don’t assure full equality in the workplace. Also, they don’t begin to address the many other aspects of inequality — child custody, hospital visitation, inheritance, immigration, etc. — that would be addressed by legal same-sex marriage. In fact, same-sex marriage legislation could in one stroke automatically assign to gay and lesbian couples not only workplace benefits, but all the equal rights and responsibilities guaranteed under all the state constitutions.

Anonymous said...

Like this Mike:

Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "Separate but equal" institution is always constitutional.

Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.

Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, air conditioning, and birth control are not natural.

Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.

Anonymous said...

I think Ernesto Scorsone Kentucky's only gay Senator is a complete joke I live in Lexington and in his district but I never vote for him even though I am gay I will not vote for someone just because they are! Thank you for never quoting him or having him affiliated with Kentucky Equality. He is a complete moron just read some of the bills he writes that NEVER get passed!

I think we should have a protest against the Senate when they come back in Session!

Anonymous said...

Proest outside the Senate? Are you nuts? But I do agree with what you said Scorsone.

becca said...

please pardon my ignorance, but i'm not sure i fully understand what this bill involves. i don't follow politics well, and have not yet worked for a company that offers partner-benefits. does this bill mean that the companies that previously offered same-sex partner benefits will no longer be allowed to?

Jake Miller said...

I just don't understand why so many legislatures are so concerned with suppressing rights and discriminating. Not to mention funding a war that is suppose to protect 'freedom' and 'liberty' while denying and taking away those freedoms and liberties. Doesn't the federal governemtn at least sound a bit like the NAZI party did before WWII? Seriously, it scares me.

Anonymous said...

im bisexual and 14... and i want to know why... when im an adult... other people tell me i cant get married! Why do those Rednecks/Hicks/Republicans/Conservitives/assholes think they can tell us WE cant get married, but then there's some guy who wants to marry his truck! (true) i askes some people at my 8th grade middle school last year (District 202, IL) whether or not they support Gay marridge, or are scum sucking republicans who hate gays cuz their intolerant bastards... 6 of them said, they were democrats, (hard to believe.... but anyway...) and they all said

"HELL NO! the bible says not to have same sex marridges."

in responce i proclaimed with a comment that completely shut them down and i KNOW had a big impact.

"You realize not everyone is religon forceing converter like yourself right? unlike you, you can change your religon if you believe something else. Me, i cant stop being Bi, its not choice! I was born the way i am, i dont mean to put down your beliefs, but in a way, arnt christians the same people who said, god is WHITE not black, OLD cuz he's wise, and MALE, obviously shovenistic. Sounds Racist to me, even the old part, im 14 and im alot smarter than some of the D+ students that have been in the white house. (Nixon, Bush, for examples.) And if your religon doesnt tolerate gays, then good for you your a bashist, but if somebody else not of your oh so mighty 100% whatever anybody else says is wrong, religon like you, LET THEM LOVE YOU MOTHER FUCKERS"

i apologize for my foul language but i found that even M.L.King Jr. even said some mean stuff in speaches! Did he and an entire culture have a revolution? yes. So will we.

Now, I have a dream, that one day the huddled masses of intolerance and ignorence will fall to the cold hard ground, giving way to my peoples freedoms. I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up from beneath the ashes, and conquer those who oppose the love.

Kentucky Equality Federation, i give you Kudo's for all that you have done......

thank you for reading...

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