Date: Thu, 11 Aug 1994 08:21:00 -0500 (GMT-0500) From: David Casti Submitted by: Mary Ann Murphy The Assembly Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to vote on SB 2061 the week August 15. Letters in support of this bill are need from California residentces. Following is a list of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee Members: The Hon. John Vasconcellos, Chair Room 6026 FAX (408)277-1249 The Hon. Paul Horcher, Vice Chair Room 3123 FAX (818)967-9159 The Hon. Fred Aguiar, Member Room 5126 FAX (909)984-6695 The Hon. Doris Allen, Member Room 4253 FAX (714)821-8524 The Hon. Dede Alpert, Member Room 3173 FAX (619)452-8173 The Hon. Dean Andal, Member Room 4167 FAX (209)465-5058 The Hon. Valerie Brown, Member Room 2130 FAX (707)546-9031 The Hon. John Burton, Member Room 3152 FAX (415)557-2592 The Hon. Robert Campbell, Member Room 2163 FAX (510)372-0934 The Hon. Jim Costa, Member Room 2158 FAX (209)445-6506 The Hon. Bob Epple, Member Room 4126 FAX (310)863-9136 The Hon. Martha M. Escutia, Member Room 2137 FAX (213)582-3578 The Hon. Barbara Friedman, Member Room 5150 FAX (213)386-7098 The Hon. Tom Hannigan, Member Room 3104 FAX (707)429-1502 The Hon. Ross Johnson, Member Room 3151 FAX (714)526-7108 The Hon. Barbara Lee, Member Room 4146 FAX (510)763-2023 The Hon. Willard Murray, Member Room 3091 FAX (310)630-0231 The Hon. Jack O'Connell, Member Room 3160 FAX (805)966-3707 The Hon. Richard Polanco, Member Room 2188 FAX (213)620-4411 The Hon. Curt Pringle, Member Room 4164 FAX (714)539-7606 The Hon. Charles Quackenbush,MemberRoom 4130 FAX (408)379-3976 The Hon. Andrea Seastrand, Member Room 3141 FAX (805)549-3400 The Hon. Paul Woodruff, Member Room 5164 FAX (909)242-2078 Following is a sample letter created by the Lambda Letters Project in support of SB 2061. If you would like to receive monthly sample letters from LLP send e-mail to mamurphy@igc.apc.org. August 15, 1994 The Hon. Assembly Ways and Means Committee The California State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Assembly Member: I would like to express my support for, and ask your endorsement of, SB 2061, by Senator Gary Hart, to add domestic partner protections to the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act. This bill will soon come before you in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Public agencies entrusted with the health care needs of their work force must be responsive to the changing needs of every kind of employee family. Over 136 major corporations and 53 public agencies in the country, concerned with health care for all their employees, have included domestic partner protections in their health care plans; including the state of Vermont, cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Berkeley; educational agencies like Stanford University and The University of Chicago; and major corporations such as Apple Computer, Levi Strauss & Co., and The New York Times. Inclusion of domestic partner protection under an employee health plan demonstrates that good will and good business work together. The narrowly defined nuclear family comprises approximately only half of American families; individuals may share a home, health risks, and medical expenses, yet may or may not be married. Inclusion of couples, married or unmarried, in employee health plans, is consistent with our emerging policy of national health care reform and would offer basic health care protections for declared partners that would build family strength and stability. The Public Employees' Retirement System has endorsed, in principle, the inclusion of domestic partners within its definition of family. SB 2061 offers an opportunity to work out a viable protection which is in the interests of all employees and all families. In all fairness to the changing definition of family in America today, domestic partners of public employees covered by PERS should be granted basic rights of health and hospital care. I ask you to vote for SB 2061 to include domestic partners by approving the addition of Section 22859.5 to the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act. Sincerely,