Gov. Jim Doyle announced in a Friday statement that he will ask the state Legislature to grant state and UW employees domestic health care benefits in Tuesday's 2007 budget address.
""Including this benefit will help ensure that state government agencies and the University of Wisconsin System can continue to attract the best and brightest into public service,"" Doyle said in a statement.
UW-Madison is the only Big Ten School that does not provide domestic partner benefits. This impacts the campus recruitment, especially faculty members, critics have said.
Former UW-Madison Researcher Rob Carpick announced in August that he was leaving because the university failed to offer domestic partner benefits. After the gay marriage referendum passed on Nov. 7, these benefits legally cannot be offered.
Both Chancellor John Wiley and Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam expressed their disagreement after the ban passed and held listening sessions for faculty and students.
