State House panel gives initial ok to same-sex domestic partner benefits (CO Independent)

[struggle4progress]

A Colorado House committee voted Tuesday afternoon to approve a bill that would extend health insurance benefits to same-sex domestic partners of state employees.
The bill, which has already passed the state Senate, advanced on a party-line vote after testimony from opponents, who said the measure unfairly extends special rights to gay couples and defies the will of state voters, who passed an amendment banning gay marriage in 2006. Supporters called it the right thing to do and said the benefits to the state outweigh anticipated costs.

“It’s about fairness,” said Senate Bill 88 co-sponsor Rep. Mark Ferrandino, a Denver Democrat and the only openly gay member of the Legislature. “It’s about making sure we treat our employees equal no matter their sexual orientation.”

During debate on the bill two weeks ago on the Senate floor, Greeley Republican state Sen. Scott Renfroe provoked a firestorm when he compared homosexuality to murder and quoted Scripture that said gay men should be put to death. Renfroe’s remarks won the rebuke of religious leaders, gay rights groups and even prominent conservatives, though the Senate Republican leadership stayed quiet on the controversy. Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry said he wasn’t going to “muzzle” GOP legislators after another state senator, Colorado Springs Republican Dave Schultheis, said he would vote against another bill because mandatory HIV testing for pregnant women would blunt the “negative consequences” of “promiscuous behavior” ... http://coloradoindependent.com/23822/state-house-panel-gives-initial-ok-to-same-sex-domestic-partner-benefits