A Letter From My Congressman

I received this today from my Congressman, David Price (D-NC):

Thank you for contacting me in support of H.R. 4838, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. I am pleased to report that I am a cosponsor of the bill.

As a matter of conscience, I support providing homosexual couples in committed relationships the same benefits available to heterosexual couples. More and more companies are extending health care and other employer-provided benefits to domestic partners, and government employers should do the same.

As you know, H.R. 4838 would extend benefits eligibility to the domestic partners of federal employees . This bill would cover a range of benefits including retirement benefits, life insurance, health insurance, compensation for work injuries as well as transportation and relocation costs, and COBRA benefits, as well as other benefits. The bill would also cover domestic partners' children, who would be treated like stepchildren. H.R. 4838 has been referred to the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, House Administration, and Judiciary for consideration.

It may also interest you to know that I am a cosponsor of the Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) Inclusion Act, H.R. 2792, which would enable employees to take family and medical leave to care for the serious health conditions of same-sex spouses and domestic partners, as well as adult children, parents-in-law, siblings, and grandparents. I believe the FMLA has been successful in balancing the needs of employees to care for loved ones with the burden that extended employee leaves can have on employers, and I think it is appropriate to expand the application of the law to recognize that society's definition of "family" is broader than it once was. This bill has been referred to the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, House Administration, and Education and Labor for consideration.
I will continue working for enactment of these, and similar pieces of legislation in the 110th Congress. Again, thank you for contacting me, and please continue to keep in touch on issues of concern.
Sincerely,
DAVID PRICE
Member of Congress