Arizona lawmakers move to end domestic partner benefits

[struggle4progress]

By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.04.2009

PHOENIX — State lawmakers are moving to strip the domestic partners of state and university employees of the health insurance coverage they gained just a year ago.

A provision in the state budget would legally define "dependents" of state employees who are entitled to coverage as a spouse or a child younger than 19 — or younger than 23 if a full-time student. Changing the law would override regulations adopted last year that added domestic partners and their children to the list.

The state Department of Administration says about 750 workers who have signed up for the benefits would be affected ...

It remains to be seen whether Gov. Jan Brewer, who already has registered objections to some parts of the budget, will support the change ...

http://www.azstarnet.com/business/295687

Wingnuts overturning one of Napolitano's rules

[AZEqualityConcern]

1. How Ironic

On June 4, 2009, the Arizona House and Legislature made their
budget recommendation to cancel domestic partner benefits for
750 state workers now receiving benefits, indicating the
proposed cuts will save the State approximately $3 million of
the state's $650 million employee health care budget.

Well, as an HR professional, I can bet the "cost
savings" of $3 million is inaccurate because the cost per
person (domestic partner) is approximately $21,800 per year. 
The employer pays approximately $1800 per employee and
domestic partner and/or children.  If you do the math......
duh!  

$ 1,800 X 12 months = $21,600 each individual
$21,600 X  2        = $43,200 per couple

$3 Million/750 State Employees = $40,000

Are these estimates (costs) to include "cuts" for
the employee as well?

[northtempe]

2. $3,000,000 / 4,000,000,000 =

.00075%

haha!

solving our problems!

The Arizona GOP in the Legislature are pushing to take away state benefits for domestic partners, and it’s no question that their ire is for gay couples;

Brewer, in a questionnaire she filled out in 2006 for the Center for Arizona Policy, said she opposes the government granting unmarried domestic partners the same employee and health benefits as married couples. The center, which helped push through an initiative last year to constitutionally ban gay marriage in Arizona, tried to block the coverage when Napolitano pushed it through.

Unfortunately, when you use a shot gun to shoot a pin, you tend to make a fool of yourself. The proposed cuts would save a paltry $3 million, when faced with our $4 billion deficit (or .00075% of said deficit) I can’t help but laugh. This will not only effect those gross gays but all those godless heathens living together and not married! (sarcasm) This is just bad blood for Napolitano’s pen scars on them.

Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman, R-Anthem, said the question of who gets what benefits should be decided by state lawmakers. She said it was wrong of then-Gov. Janet Napolitano to make the change administratively.

What a waste of time, the state needs a tax reverse, all the hens we let out in the nineties are coming back to roust, unfortunately our state house is run by losers.

read the rest at northtempe.org! :)