State house votes to keep benefits for domestic partners

House Dems still wary of Republican 'trickery'

LANSING - State Democrats tried out being the "Party of No" March 22 and it worked to their advantage.

State Republicans were working to overturn a decision to allow live-in partners of state employees to access benefits, but they were stopped by House Democrats.

The decision by the independent Michigan Civil Service Comission was made in January and will take effect in October this year. In order to overturn the decision, Republicans needed to muster a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the state legislature.

Republicans succeeded in the Senate, which voted by party lines on March 10 to overturn the MCSC decision. But Republicans, who dominate the House 63 to 49, needed 1 1 Democrats to side with them in order to muster the necessary majority.

The vote in the House showed that Republicans didn't have the Democratic support they needed. According to Emily Divendorf, a lobbyist and director of policy at Equality Michigan, all but three Democrats voted not to overturn the decision (two voted with Republicans and one abstained from voting).

When a bill is defeated or passed, legislators have the option of letting the bill take effect immediately, letting it die or "passing it temporarily." Republicans opted to pass the measure temporarily, which means the House may vote on the it again.

Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, is wary of "trickery" by Republicans if they choose to bring it up to vote again. He said they may try to pass it through with a vocal vote instead of a recorded vote, and if that happens, the Democrats may have to make this measure a legal issue.

"Fm proud to be a Democrat today, when we all stood together to do the right thing," he said, but "it's certainly not a final victory ... we now have proof there's not two-thirds of the House to support this and later on when they try to use some trickery to push it through we'll still have this record of it being beaten back, and that could be important down the line."

"House Democrats are clearly out of touch with the economic realities of our state and the ongoing challenges of Michigan taxpayers," said House Speaker Jase B�iger, R-Marshall, in a press release issued shortly after the vote. "Although the vote is extremely disappointing, we're hopeful our Democrat colleagues will do the right thing, and side with Michigan voters and taxpayers to overturn this irresponsible action by the Civil Service Commission."

The benefits will allow one "other eligible" adult to access health benefits of state employees, provided that the OEA lives with the state employee and is not a tenant. The OEA's dependants are elegibile for the coverage as well.

"The House Democrats did an admirable job fighting for the health and vitality of all Michigan families through their defense of the MCSCs extension of OEA benefits," Divendorf said. "The defeat of SCR9 in the House was a clear demonstration of the appreciation that many Michigan lawmakers have for fundamental fairness, a well cared for and empowered workforce, the hard work of our unions, and strong families."

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"It's certainly not a final victory. We now have proof there's not two-thirds of the House to support this and later on when (Republicans) try to use some trickery to push it through we'll still have this record of it being beaten back."

- Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor