Voters Reverse Plan Providing Insurance to Domestic Partners
The City Council’s move to provide insurance benefits for all “domestic partners” of city employees, including same-sex partners, was reversed by voters after a campaign organized by a religious leader.
Final returns from Saturday’s election showed 62%, or 45,638 votes, favoring repeal of the domestic-partners program to 38%, or 28,129 votes, to preserve it.
Proposition 22 amended Austin’s charter to limit benefits to the husbands, wives and other immediate relatives of city employees.
“Most of Austin is fed up with irresponsible spending and morals,” said the Rev. Charles Bullock, president of the pro-repeal Concerned Texans group.
He organized the petition drive that put the proposition on the ballot.
The council approved the insurance program last September. Ninety-eight employees had signed up--69 registering an opposite-sex partner and 29 enrolling a same-sex partner.
The benefits would have cost the city about $130,000 this year.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
