The option exists for opposite-sex couples to marry in every State of the Union.

This legislation is a valuable business opportunity for the Federal Government to enhance our recruitment and our retention efforts.

This bill shows that we recognize the value of every American and their families and their relationships.

the need to consider providing domestic partners' benefits to Federal employees should also be evaluated in light of the potential positive impacts that such policies can have on the Federal Government's recruitment and retention…

Mr. Chairman, I was reluctant to relive before this committee the most painful chapter of my life, the decision to leave a career that I love.

You see, the issue we are here to address is not about personal belief, and it is not the definition of marriage.

Because of the Defense of Marriage Act, even those same-sex couples who are afforded the right to marry in certain States would not have those marriages recognized currently at the Federal level.

We've had a researcher from the engineering school leave the State with an NSF grant that totaled more than it would have cost to implement the domestic partnership benefits State-wide in Wisconsin because of the indignity of the unequal…

the President took an important first step toward addressing these shortfalls when he signed the memorandum last month directing all Federal agencies to extend benefits to same-sex domestic partners of Federal employees to the extent now…

this inequality exists on the Federal level despite the significant expansion in the availability of employment-related benefits and equal treatment for domestic partners.

You are not misreading that, but as Director Berry indicated, in their review of the legislation, OPM has come up with a number of technical recommendations, and that would be one.

it made much more sense to create this mechanism to provide the employment fringe benefits, and that's what this bill is limited to.

He went on to say that, as Americans, we are all affected when our promises of equality go unfulfilled.

The passage of H.R. 2517 is essential to accomplishing both of these goals.

Surely, the public interest requires that these obligations also apply to partners of gay and lesbian office holders.

I regard this as an issue of equal compensation both in pay and benefits, but predominantly, we're looking at benefits for equal work.

I represent a district with a world-class university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison...

the way this legislation would work in practice recognizes the fact we have Federal employees around the world