Lieberman Not Utterly Useless
Posted on | December 21, 2007
Finally earning some of the oxygen he consumes, Senator Joe Lieberman co-sponsors an actual progressive bill:
S.2521, also known as the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act, was introduced Wednesday by Republican Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and 19 co-sponsors. The legislation seeks to grant health benefits, family medical leave, long-term care and retirement benefits, to match those of married couples, to the domestic partners of federal employees.
“The federal government should be leading the way rather than following when it comes to providing benefits,” says Senator Smith. “Rights and benefits must be afforded to all employees equally. This bill corrects the current inequity.”
“It’s time for the federal government to catch up to the private sector,” adds Senator Lieberman, “not just to set an example but so that it can compete for the most qualified employees and ensure that all of our public servants receive fair and equitable treatment.”
Continues Lieberman, “It makes good economic and policy sense. And it is the right thing to do.”
Corporate giants such as Raytheon, Disney, Time Warner, IBM, and Microsoft join a majority of Fortune 500 companies in providing domestic partner benefits to their employees, along with 13 states and 201 local governments.
Senator Lieberman is to be congratulated! Let’s see how willing he is to ensure that this bill passes.
Comments
Leave a Reply
