Panel OKs benefits for domestic partners

The Santa Fe City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday endorsed an ordinance putting into law the city’s current practice of providing health and dental benefits to the domestic partners of full-time employees.

The measure would also expand the insurance coverage to the children of municipal employees’ partners.

The benefits proposal was one of several equal rights-related ordinances reviewed by the committee.

Councilors also endorsed an ordinance that would prohibit city contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as race, color, national origin, religion, ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental handicap, serious medical condition and spousal affiliation.

However, committee members postponed taking action on an ordinance that would require companies with municipal contracts of $50,000 or more to provide health benefits to workers’ domestic partners if they do so for married spouses. The committee also postponed a vote on an ordinance creating a human rights commission to deal with gay and lesbian-related, and possibly other, issues and complaints.

Councilors said they need more information and might consider tweaking some aspects of the latter two proposals.

Councilor Patti Bushee is sponsoring all four measures, which will require a vote of the full City Council to be enacted.

“I just really want this package to move along, with the statement that Santa Fe cares about everybody and wants to treat them equally,” Bushee said.

Bushee said she wants to address deficiencies pinpointed by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s recent Municipal Equality Index. Santa Fe ranked below average on the index’s survey of policies and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.

Domestic partner benefits are now offered by the city under policy, not a formal city ordinance.

The ordinance Bushee has proposed to put the partner benefits into the city code would expand coverage to allow the child of a domestic partner — not necessarily the legal child of the city employee in the relationship — to receive benefits.

About 57 workers using the city’s health insurance program have domestic partners, and city officials roughly estimated that cost of adding the extra children at around $160,000. The city’s total health insurance costs are around $16 million annually.

Domestic partners are defined in the ordinances as “two individuals who live together in a long-term relationship of indefinite duration, and have shared an exclusive relationship for the 12 month period prior to application for the domestic partner’s benefits.”

Finance Committee members also discussed the possibility of the city offering domestic partner benefits other than just health and dental care. Life insurance is one possibility.

Councilors expressed some concerns about the possible impact of the ordinance requiring larger-scale city contractors to offer domestic partner benefits.

Councilor Bill Dimas wondered what might happen to companies with insurance carriers that don’t offer domestic partner coverage.

“Is that fair to city contractors?” he wondered.

Others suggested the potential added costs might be a burden to local businesses.

Councilors said they want more input from city contractors and agreed to hold a public hearing at the Finance Committee’s next meeting on April 15.

Bushee said she’s amendable to raising the dollar threshold of the ordinance. She said the intent isn’t to ensnare “mom and pop” setups.

Bushee also said that “the idea is to try and equalize the offerings of health benefits if they are offered” and not actually require contractors to offer health insurance.

City officials noted that domestic partners are currently required to sign an affidavit and provide several documents to the city demonstrating they’re in a long-term, committed relationship.

The ordinance creating a human rights commission indicates that the group would look after the rights of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.

The Santa Fe Human Rights Commission would act in an advisory capacity to the city council, investigating human rights issues and providing advice and suggestions, including “reforms …that would improve LGBT quality of life and help to ensure greater inclusivity and equality in Santa Fe,” according to the proposed ordinance.

But several councilors, including Bushee, said they’d like to see the commission’s mission expanded to include other groups.