Domestic Partnership Ordinance Vote this Thursday in the City of Miami
Written by C.J. Ortuno Thursday, 11 June 2009 05:09
MIAMI, FL - SAVE Dade has been working diligently for the past year with City of Miami Commissioners and the Office of the Mayor to bring forth a Domestic Partnership Ordinance, which will be voted on this Thursday, June 11, 2009.
The Ordinance would allow the City of Miami to offer health benefits to its employees and their declared domestic partners. Currently, the City of Miami only offers these benefits to its married heterosexual couples. The City of Miami Beach and City of North Miami similarly have adopted ordinances providing domestic partnership benefits to their employees.
Executive Director C.J. Ortuno, and former Executive Director Heddy Pena, SAVE Dade’s Political Committee, and countless volunteers have combined efforts to lobby and build the support needed for the Ordinance’s successful passage.
The Ordinance’s sponsor, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, with his staff, have been working closely with C.J. Ortuno on ensuring the Domestic Partnership Ordinance is properly vetted and complied with the appropriate mechanisms. After legal review with the city attorney and a few drafts, the Ordinance was on the agenda for its first reading on May 14, 2009. The first hearing of the Ordinance passed with a 4-0 unanimous vote in favor of it being heard for a second reading (Commissioner Angel Gonzalez was not in attendance for the meeting).
C.J. Ortuno and SAVE Dade volunteers were able to meet with sponsoring Commissioner Sarnoff, as well as Commissioners Sanchez and Regalado to seek their support. All three commissioners looked favorably on the proposed Ordinance and felt it was a matter of fairness for all City of Miami employees. Each commissioner validated the importance of the Ordinance and worked to ensure its proper passage by assisting with any potential challenges it would face. Commissioner Marc Sarnoff said, “Providing employment benefits, including healthcare, to the domestic partners of our City of Miami employees is a common sense idea that has been far too long in coming. This is nothing more than treating people equally. I am proud to say our City is doing the right thing.”
When Chairman Commissioner Joe Sanchez was asked about the Ordinance he said, “This allows us to recruit and retain the best and brightest workers for the City of Miami by offering benefits to domestic partners. This reaffirms our strong belief that all people are equal in Miami, the City of diversity.”
We anticipate this Ordinance would affect at least 200-250 employees and their families. One of those employees is Melissa Llera, a City of Miami Firefighter and SAVE Dade volunteer, who has been in a committed relationship with her partner Christie for over 12 years. They have a child together and are forced to obtain private insurance since the City does not offer domestic partner health benefits. There are many employees like Mel who are left vulnerable due to an employment inequality.
"We are supportive of the City of Miami City Commission's good leadership with this vote in addressing this inequity. Every employee deserves fair treatment, municipal employees are no exception." said SAVE Dade's Executive Director, C.J. Ortuno.
About SAVE
Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE) advocates for equal rights for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and educates the community about human rights with an emphasis on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues. Established in 1993, SAVE accomplishes this mission through education initiatives, outreach, grassroots organizing, and advocacy. Starting with the landmark passage of Miami's Human Rights Ordinance in 1998 to recent enactments of domestic partner benefit policies, SAVE continues to lead the fight for LGBT equality in Miami-Dade County.
Mailing Address | 12864 Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 338 | North Miami, FL 33181
305-751-SAVE (7283) | 305-751-9649 f | www.savedade.org | savedade@savedade.org
2008 Not-for-Profit Organization of the Year | Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
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