June 27, 2007

Senate passes budget with domestic partner benefits

In legislative action on June 26, the Wisconsin state Senate passed a budget plan that includes domestic partner health care benefits for state workers.

The budget passed by a vote of 18-15.

The action is one step toward benefits ending up in the final budget, though the process is far from complete. The budget now moves to the Assembly and will eventually be considered by a conference committee made up of members from the two legislative houses before moving to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle.

“We believe strongly that domestic partner health benefits are a critical competitive issue for attracting and retaining campus talent, and we appreciate the Senate’s efforts to add it to the budget,” says University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor John Wiley. “We remain committed to providing the same benefits that are widely available at peer institutions and the private sector.”

Laurie Beth Clark, vice provost for faculty and staff programs at UW–Madison, adds, “We continue to express our appreciation to those who have supported domestic partner benefits to this point. We remain hopeful that benefits will be included in the final budget.”

Should members of the campus community want to express an opinion on domestic partner benefits issue, individual contact with members of the Assembly is encouraged, provided that it takes place on personal time, using non-university resources.

For additional information, contact UW–Madison State Relations at (608) 263-5510 or DPbenefits@provost.wisc.edu.

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