Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007
Latest action · Sep 24, 2008 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedDec 19, 2007
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007 - Provides that a federal employee and his or her domestic partner shall be entitled to benefits available to, and shall be subject to obligations imposed upon, a married federal employee and his or her spouse.
Defines "domestic partner" to mean an adult unmarried person living with another adult unmarried person of the same sex in a committed, intimate relationship. Defines "benefits" to include federal health insurance and enhanced dental and vision benefits, retirement and disability benefits, family, medical, and emergency leave, group life insurance, long-term care insurance, compensation for work injuries, and benefits for disability, death, or captivity. Excludes members of the uniformed services from the definition of "employee."
Sets forth requirements for filing: (1) an affidavit of eligibility as such a domestic partner, which shall include a certification that the employee and the domestic partner are each other's sole domestic partners and intend to remain so indefinitely; and (2) a statement upon dissolution of such a domestic partnership.
Cosponsors 23
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 19, 2007 to Dec 8, 2008; 20 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IL | Barack Obama | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-CA | Barbara Boxer | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-MI | Carl Levin | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-CT | Christopher J. Dodd | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-HI | Daniel K. Akaka | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-MA | Edward M. Kennedy | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| R-OR | Gordon H. Smith | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-NY | Hillary Rodham Clinton | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | Dec 19, 2007 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee | Referred Dec 19, 2007Hearings Sep 24, 2008 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 24, 2008Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 110-944.
- Sep 24, 2008Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held.
- Dec 19, 2007Introduced in Senate
- Dec 19, 2007Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S16008)
- Dec 19, 2007Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S16008-16009)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S16008–S16010Text printed S16008Summaries S16009 | Gordon H. Smith R-OR, Joseph I. Lieberman I-CT (text), Patrick J. Leahy D-VT | Dec 19, 2007 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 110-944 | DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: FAIR POLICY AND GOOD BUSINESS233 pages | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee | Sep 24, 2008 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4838 | Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007 | Identical bill | Feb 25, 2008 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to provide benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Civil service retirement
- Domestic partners
- Families
- Family leave
- Federal employees
- Finance and Financial Sector
- Government employees' health insurance
- Government employees' life insurance
- Government Operations and Politics
- Health
- Labor and Employment
- Leave of absence
- Long-term care insurance
- Sick leave
- Workers' compensation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 19, 2007Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
