Texas House Bill would allow domestic partner benefits for state university employees

by Vince Leibowitz of Capitol Annex

A new bill by State Rep. Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin) will pave the way for Texas universities to offer insurance benefits for the same-sex domestic partners of university employees.

The bill, HB 861, would amend the Texas Insurance Code to allow the state’s university systems to adopt rules allowing for insurance benefits to be extended to not just to traditional dependents but also to domestic partners.

Although the legislation doesn’t use the words “domestic partnership,” the intent of the legislation is clear. It would essentially tear down the last roadblock that universities in Texas have claimed is preventing them from providing domestic partner benefits to employees.

The legislation would also help Texas universities recruit and retain faculty, as many university systems already offer similar benefits. Texas schools, however, interpret existing law as deeming that they are prohibited from offering benefits to same-sex domestic partners. Other Texas universities already offer same-sex domestic partner benefits. Texas Christian University, a private school, has done so since 2005.