Posted on 10/18/2006 5:23:06 PM PDT by Kaslin
BOSTON, Oct. 17 -- The federal government has refused to pay death benefits to the spouse of former congressman Gerry E. Studds (D-Mass.), the first openly gay member of Congress.
Studds married Dean Hara in 2004 after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts. But Hara will not be eligible to receive any portion of Studds's estimated $114,337 annual pension because the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from recognizing Studds's marriage.
Peter Graves, a spokesman for the Office of Personnel Management, which administers the congressional pension program, said same-sex partners are not recognized as spouses for any marriage benefits. He said Studds's case is the first of its kind known to the agency.
Under federal law, pensions can be denied only to lawmakers' same-sex partners and to people convicted of espionage or treason, Graves said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
that's rich!
Studds got the gold mine, Hara got the shaft. Literally. LOL
Peter "Graves"-ha ha. This is something else that's Bush's fault!
How proud do you imagine this guy's family was that their son was "married" to a congressman?
The mind reels.
I guess he's going to have to suck for his supper from now on
"Stop calling me Shirley."
I guess they'll auction off the butt plugs on Ebay since his husband can't have them.
The bill was passed by Congress by a vote of 85-14 in the Senate and a vote of 342-67 in the House of Representatives, and was signed by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996.
I bet somebody is in the doghouse again.
Wait didn't Bubba sign that law in 1996?
Why it all Clinton's fault. Good grief.
I am just certain the Boston Globe and NY Times will be all over that aspect of the story tomorrow.
PWNED!
...though ya gotta wonder if this would have happened if the flamers hadn't tried to call their relationships "marriage".
The guy should have had his pension taken away from him for sodomizing a 17-year old page!!!
I don't really want to know.
Clinton signed it but only on the condition that it took effect on January 21st, 2001.
This article talks about death benefits, and the man responsible is named "Peter Graves"! Referring to the actor Peter Graves is also funny. By the way, it was Leslie Nielsen, not Peter Graves, that said, "Stop calling me Shirley."
Put Ham on Five and hold the Mayo
First of all, NOBODY gets to inherit anybody else's federal pension ~ not even a spouse. However, a pensioner can forego 10% of his pension to set up a dependent's annuity which will pay up to 55% of the normal amount of the pension.
However, the only people who can qualify are spouse, former spouse, dependent child, and, or a retarded or disabled child (of any age) ~ and if the pensioner doesn't do that these people GET NOTHING.
You're right! Graves is the "Ever see a grown man naked?" guy.
One slight caveat. If the federal employee dies on the job, then his wife does "inherit" his pension.
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