Domestic partner benefits issue to be resolved in conference committee

July 12, 2007

The state Assembly on July 10 passed a Republican-crafted budget that does not include the domestic partner benefits provision for state employees that Gov. Jim Doyle and the state Senate included in their versions of the budget.

The Assembly action does not mean the issue is dead, but that the opportunity to put benefits into the budget moves to the next phase, a conference committee. Each house will form a joint conference committee to resolve the differences in the budget bills passed. The domestic partner provision is one of those differences and will be a subject of negotiations in the coming weeks.

Conversations with legislative leadership are continuing, and the desire to see the original provision included in the final version of the budget remains the overall goal, says Laurie Beth Clark, vice provost for faculty and staff programs.

However, because of the political nature of the issue, it is possible that the result could be a modified version of the original domestic partner benefit provision. The university stands ready to entertain any discussion that may result in the benefit being established in some shape or form, Clark says.

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