The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday passed legislation that would provide health care and other benefits to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian federal employees. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed companion legislation in November. Approval of the bill (S. 1102) would bring the government in line with the benefits offered by most Fortune 100 companies, including several major technology companies.
Alyssa Rosenberg explains that approval of domestic partnership benefits still faces several hurdles, however, including completion by the Office of Personnel Management of a list potential cost savings to offset the legislation's price tag, which is estimated to be $38 million in fiscal 2010 and $63 million annually over the next 10 years.
Meanwhile, President Obama on Wednesday signed into law the fiscal 2010 omnibus appropriations bill, which includes a 1.5 percent base pay increase and a 0.5 percent locality pay increase for federal civilian workers.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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