LCC won't fight partner benefits law

LANSING –
The state's only community college to offer health care benefits to unmarried partners says it will not defend those benefits if Gov. Rick Snyder signs legislation which would ban them.
Lansing Community College, which is the state's third largest and covers parts of five counties in mid-Michigan, began offering the benefits in 2002. Currently, three full time employees have availed themselves of the benefits at a cost of $25,064 per year, says Ellen Jones, spokesperson for the college.
But if Republican Gov. Snyder signs HB 4770 into law, Jones says the college will not fight it in court.
"LCC does not have the resources to mount legal action against legislation with which we disagree. We use our limited resources to provide education for our students and the community," she said in an email to Between The Lines. "Lansing Community College has had a policy of making domestic partner benefits available to its employees. That policy was adopted and reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees who were elected to represent the citizens of our district. They clearly thought LCC's policy was prudent, beneficial and authorized by law. The Michigan legislature has reached a different conclusion, and the Governor is apparently still considering the matter. President Knight and others at LCC are monitoring the situation, which is still developing."
The legislation was passed earlier this month, and Snyder has announced he will sign the bill – with one caveat: state universities have to be exempted under the law. While that might seem like a simple thing to determine, the House Republican caucus says the bill does not exempt universities, while the Senate Republicans say the bill does exempt them. Universities are key issues because in May of this year, Snyder administration lawyers issued a legal opinion as a part of the budget process which rejected a provision which would have punished universities with a five percent penalty for offering partner benefits. Snyder's administration argued the provision violated the constitutional autonomy provisions of the state.
But community colleges are not provided that same autonomy under the constitution and state laws, and thus would be subject to the law – which would prohibit state, county and local units of governments, including public schools, from offering benefits to employees.
And for Nancy English, whose partner is a fulltime employee at LCC and provides health care coverage for her, it's an attack.
"You can't help but think the GOP in the legislature are going after us. No doubt. Just no doubt in my mind," English said. "It's an insult. I am just insulted by that. I am beyond insulted anymore. It's just Republicans pandering to their conservatives – esp. the Conservative Christian Base – either for re-election or because they believe lesbians and gay men are heathens against God and deserve nothing…I have no idea what all is their thinking about it. It's an outright attack."
The news could not come at a worse time for English, who is going on disability because of health issues. She says the legislation, if signed into law, would leave her without medical coverage, without access to necessary surgeries or prescriptions.