Michigan government employees will no longer see benefits for same-sex partners in their new contracts.
The announcement was made by Gov. Jennifer Granholm's office, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.
Contracts scheduled for adoption by the state Civil Service Commission on Dec. 15 included same-sex partner benefits for the first time.
But State Employer David Fink said the administration decided to remove the provision in light of voter approval of Proposal 2, the state constitutional amendment that limits marriage to one man and one woman.
The amendment passed with 58.6 percent of the vote on Nov. 2.
Fink said the benefits could be reinstated before the contracts go into effect on Oct. 1, 2005, if the issue is resolved by court by then.
State unions were not surprised by the decision. Fred Parks, executive director of the Michigan Corrections Organization, which represents 10,000 corrections employees, said the unions had been consulted before the move.
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