Dallas County has approved a plan to
subsidize the health insurance plans of gay workers in a domestic
partnership.
In a 3-2 party line vote on Tuesday,
the County Commissioners Court approved giving employees in a
domestic relationship who do not have insurance through other means a
$300 monthly subsidy to go towards their health insurance, the same
amount the county contributes to employees who are married. Workers
in both gay or straight relationships are eligible for the benefit,
gay weekly The
Dallas Voice reported.
The court's Republican minority voted
against the plan.
“Are we going to fund obese people?”
asked Republican Commissioner Maurine Dickey. “Are we going to
start funding smokers? Are we going to fund people who have blue
Pontiacs?”
A qualifying domestic partnership is
defined by the county as one in which the couple have been living
together at least six months, are at least 18 years old and are not
married.
Dallas County joins Travis County and
El Paso County to become only the third county in Texas to offer
domestic partner benefit to its workers. The county has roughly
6,000 employees.