Taxpayer-Funded Insurance for Domestic Partners Should End

Should a private employer be allowed to provide insurance for his employees, his employee's family, his employee's dog? Of course! A private business owner should be free to provide whatever benefits to his employees that he likes. But, should a public employer be allowed to do the same? That is a different issue. Any expenditure by a public employer is made with public funds, i.e. your tax dollars.

Representative Dave Agema introduced HB 4770-4771 with that concept in mind. Public employers have started to provide insurance benefits to "domestic partners" of their employees. Is that appropriate? Is there a line that should be drawn between what may be reasonable and what may not be? The entire Republican House caucus plus one Democrat agree that it is not appropriate. HB 4770-4771 was passed with 64 votes and is now languishing in the Senate.

Senator Mark Jansen

As a limited government conservative, I believe government should stay out of the affairs of a private business. But, as a legislator, I always believed that we who were responsible for spending tax dollars, should be looking for ways to limit public spending. It is appropriate for those who are responsible for the annual state budget to oversee how public funds are spent.

Please contact Senator Mark Jansen and ask him to move these bills out or his committee to the Senate Floor.