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Local News
Anderson Signs Domestic
Partner Benefits Order
 Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson signed an executive order Sept. 21 making the city the first Utah government to extend insurance benefits to city employees’ domestic partners—gay and straight.
“This order is in effect now,” he said at the public signing. “Our staff will now work with the insurance administrator to get benefits in place.”
The insurance administrator in question is the Public Employees Health Program (PEHP), which provides insurance benefits to state and Salt Lake County employees. One day before the signing, the organization withdrew its support after working closely with the city for months to develop the plan. According to PEHP representatives, the organization now wants to wait for a judge to rule on the legality of the plan before proceeding.
“We felt like it was a contract issue, it was only a matter of amending our current contract,” Jodi Langford, city benefits administrator, told the Salt Lake Tribune on September 21. But when the mayor’s signing of the bill seemed eminent, Langford said she received a call from PEHP’s attorney. According to her, the attorney said, “Based on articles from the paper, we have received pressures from individuals, so we just think it’s in our best interest to seek this [court] opinion.”
At the signing, Anderson called PEHP’s decision to back out “frustrating.”
“I think they got spooked by some of the news stories from some legislators and Amendment 3 proponents that are seeking to renege on promises they made during the campaign,” he said.
Though Jeffrey Jensen, PEHP’s deputy director, told the Tribune that he did not know of any direct pressure, he said that Rep. LaVar Christensen’s mention of “certain interpretations of certain laws” had “caused us to pause.” The Draper Republican has called the mayor’s plan illegal in several interviews. The state constitution was amended in 2004 to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman and to prohibit the state from recognizing or giving legal effect “to any law creating any legal status, rights, benefits or duties that are substantially equivalent” to those provided to married couples.
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“The current law is so clear and sufficient it’s flagrant for [Anderson] to violate known public policy,” Christensen said. In the past, he has also said that the legislature may consider passing legislation to block the benefits if Anderson’s order went through.
Still, Anderson said he is confident the legislature will not make such a move.
“I think our legislators would think twice about passing some kind of legislation that was punitive and discriminatory,” he said. “I doubt they would want to backtrack to try to deprive cities the opportunity to extend benefits equally to their employees.”
Attorneys from Salt Lake City and County have said that the mayor’s proposal is legal.
In August, Anderson said he wanted to have the benefits program in place by November. Recent estimates, including those reached by the PEHP, have indicated that extending the benefits may cost as much as $113,000.
Questions about who can access the benefits have also surfaced.
When asked if anyone could add their “best buddy” to the health insurance policy, Anderson said the new benefits would be limited to domestic partners only.
“There are criteria on the forms that you will need to sign,” he said. “One of the criterion is that you must show that you are in a committed, long-term relationship with joint ownership of certain types of property, such as a mortgage.”
“You must have proof that you have been living together for a minimum of six months,” he added.
Anderson also disagreed with criticism that his order would weaken the institution of marriage. “It actually strengthens [it],” he said. “It is interesting that in Vermont, where they have domestic partnerships, most people polled support it. Before the partnerships were offered, most didn’t support them. I think it is a fear of change, but once made and the obstacles overcome, people realize that it doesn’t change their personal relationships. It doesn’t affect their lives in any negative way. It allows us as a society to move forward with greater dignity and awareness.”
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