No Health Benefits For Milwaukee County Workers With Domestic Partners

The Milwaukee County Board Thursday narrowly upheld County Executive Scott Walker’s veto of a measure that would have laid the groundwork for establishing health benefits for domestic partners of county workers.

Advocates of the measure defended domestic partner benefits as an issue of fairness.

“It’s not a matter of gay or lesbian rights, it’s a matter of equality,” said Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic. “Are we that regressive that the County Board can’t even support a study?” The measure called for research into the cost of the benefit and drafting of a final plan.

Opponents said adding a benefit was unwise at a time of tight county budgets. One estimate suggested it could cost the county $4 million a year, despite estimates on similar benefits elsewhere, which suggest a much lower cost.

In spite of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in the state of Wisconsin, domestic partnerships have been recognized within the state since August 3, 2009. Wisconsin’s domestic partnership law provides 43 rights and protections to couples, in contrast to more than 200 protections granted to married couples by state law.

As the state continues to inch forward on the issue of marriage equality, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case that charges the 2006 referendum that banned same-sex marriage and civil unions was unconstitutional.