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On Monday, May 7th, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill
that would have allowed local units of government the authority to
provide health benefits to their employees at their discretion,
including offering domestic partner benefits to GLBT employees.
“This is an outrage,” said OutFront Minnesota Executive Director Ann
DeGroot. “The governor doesn’t want to allow local units of government
to be able to make these decisions for themselves. For him to oppose
local control over local affairs is indefensible. This is a political
move but unfortunately has a real effect on real families in Minnesota.”
Governor Pawlenty is out of step with such organizations as The
League of Minnesota Cities and the Minnesota Association of Small Cities
who were among the many supporters of this legislation. He is also out
of step with more than 250 companies in the state who offer domestic
partner benefits including General Mills, Medtronic, and Best Buy.
The bill would have remedied a 1995 Court of Appeals ruling which
determined that local governments lack the authority to expand their
employee benefits beyond the bounds of explicit state law. The
legislation considered during the 2007 session would have established
full local authority over employee benefits.
“This veto is not good government,” said DeGroot. “It’s the state
telling local governments what they can and cannot do. We thought the
governor supported local control. The governor has chosen to make a
political point over good public policy.”
Text of Governor's veto message pertaining to the local government
bill: "The bill has not removed all of the domestic partner
provisions as I have previously requested. Morever, a provision remains
in the bill which would permit the unlimited expansion of employment
benefits to domestic partners and others by local units of government.
Again, I am opposed to any legislation concerning domestic partners
benefits, including the bill's study and definition of 'significant
individual.'"
Call the governor to express how absurd it is to block any public
policy that enhances the lives of GLBT people!
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