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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 4, 2008
Equality Maryland Uges Governor O'Malley to Extend Equal Benefits to State Employees
CONTACT:
Dan Furmansky, Executive Director
Cell: (301) 461-4900
Annapolis, Md. – Saying that Maryland is rapidly falling behind public and private sector entities, Equality Maryland publicly called on Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley to begin offering health, retirement and other benefits to state employees' domestic partners. Currently, 13 states and the District of Columbia offer these benefits to state employees, as do the majority of Fortune 500 companies.
"With numerous studies showing that the cost increase is minimal, by offering domestic partner benefits, the state will be treating all of its employees fairly and conducting smart business," said Executive Director Dan Furmansky. "Workplace benefits are a significant part of overall compensation, and without access to these benefits, the domestic partners of state employees often do not have access to affordable health insurance."
Policies for equal compensation and benefits to public sector employees already exists in several Maryland jurisdictions, including Howard and Montgomery Counties; the cities of Baltimore, College Park, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, and Takoma Park; and the school systems of Baltimore County and Prince George's County. The University of Maryland is one of only ten campuses in the 60-member Association of American Universities that does not offer domestic partner benefits to its faculty.
"My partner and I have been together for over 30 years and he is a dedicated Maryland State employee," said Michael Barrash of Baltimore County. "He has wanted to have me covered under his health insurance for years. We both think this is so unfair and also denies him the right to take advantage of what every other State employee is entitled to – to protect their loved ones."
Because same-sex couples are not allowed to legally marry and Maryland does not offer domestic partner benefits to its employees, same-sex partners of state employees are denied healthcare coverage, sick, bereavement and family leave, dental, vision, life insurance and retirement savings plans. In fact, even when employers offer domestic partner benefits, employees are taxed on these benefits unlike spousal benefits, which couples receive tax-free.
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Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest LGBT civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland. Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community.