Richardson Recalls NM Lawmakers To Deal With Gay Partner Bill

[bigtree]

March 20, 2007 - 4:00 pm ET

(Santa Fe, New Mexico)

In 2003, Governor Bill Richardson issued an executive order providing state employees, both gay and straight, with the option of providing their partners health insurance through domestic partner coverage. Under the order, domestic partner coverage is not available to employees after they retire, while spousal coverage is provided.

Late last year Richardson, who is eyeing the Democratic nomination for President, joined LGBT activists in calling for a statewide domestic partner law that would provide the same benefits as marriage.

The measure passed the House but the Senate stripped out many of the bill's provisions, making it according to gay rights groups meaningless. When the revised bill returned the House the original language was restored but the session ended before the Senate could vote again.

Richardson has said he wants the three bills dealt with by the end of the week and lawmakers are accusing the governor of trying to push through the domestic partner bill in order to look good to gay activists.

On Saturday, Richardson will be the keynote speaker at a major event in Los Angeles sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. The governor's office denies any link between the two.

Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson (R) doesn't buy it. Rawson said the session is "150 percent" about the partnership bill.

report: http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/03/032007nmleg.htm


more . . .


N.M. keeps domestic-partner bill alive

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 / 11:54 AM

"On Friday at 9:30 p.m., we were in the governor's office, talking about what could be done to keep this alive," Alexis Blizman, executive director of Equality New Mexico, told Gay.com on Tuesday.

"And he went down to the House floor and talked to people," Blizman said. "And the House voted to restore the bill at 3:30 in the morning."

It would only take one changed Senate vote to pass the partner bill -- Richardson or Lt. Gov. Diane Denish would break the tie in favor, Blizman asserts -- but House Minority Whip Dan Foley, R-Roswell, doesn't expect that to happen.

"How do you get someone who voted one way to change his mind in three or four days?" Foley told the Santa Fe New Mexican. "I'd hate to be the one to defend that vote."

On Saturday, Richardson is scheduled to keynote a Human Rights Campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles. Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told the Tribune that "the governor already has a strong record on human rights issues and can talk about it at the speech regardless of the outcome on that particular bill." (Barbara Wilcox, The Advocate)

more: http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?date=2007/03/20/1&navpath=/news/

[Ishoutandscream2]

1. I don't care what the motives may be, Republic party

Gov. Richardson, like he did with the medical marijuana bill, is doing the right thing here. Good for him.

[Deep13]

2. The governor is making us do our jobs! Waaaaaaah!!!!

:cry: :nopity: