Mayor Says Buttars Attack on Domestic Partnership Registry Could Dismantle Current Benefits

Feb 11, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) A bill aiming to undo Salt Lake City's new domestic partnership registry was watered down slightly in response to concern that it would also dismantle a current health benefit package offered to city employees. Senator Chris Buttars added a provision to protect these employees from losing their "adult designee" benefit, but city leaders say it is still in jeopardy.

"I'm very concerned on the effect to our current city employees who have health care benefits," Mayor Ralph Becker says. "While I appreciate that Senator Buttars with his proposed changes today, maybe attempting to lessen some of the impact - the devastating impact - on some of our employees. I'm not sure it accomplishes that."

Becker says the city's "adult designee" program allows employees to designate another adult living in their household to be their "partner" and get health benefits. Twenty-two percent of the people using this designation are in same-sex relationships, but 78 percent are not. Of these, 10 percent of are providing health benefits to an elderly parent. Such is the case with Andrea Curtis and her mother, Jean, who saves $200 per month in prescription drug costs as Curtis' adult designee.

"I am concerned. I am not sure whether they still have written into it adequate language to protect these very important benefits for my adult designee," Curtis says. "I know there was some mention that no that wouldn't change. And that is still unclear. I know there is some reference to a blood relative. If she were my mother-in-law, how would this change that?"

Senator Buttars' bill cleared the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously, and heads to the Senate floor for consideration. A link to the full text of the bill and the committee debate is available on our Web site, kcpw.org. 

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