State Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) says officials with the EAA AirVenture shouldn’t have to pay $450,000 to the Federal Aviation Administration to secure air traffic control services for next month’s event in Oshkosh.

“I think this is bad politics,” he says. “I think that this just a way to stir up the constituency and kind of get things back in order in Washington. I don’t think they’re going to accomplish that.”

Gudex says fuel taxes that pilots pay are supposed to take care of air traffic control services.

Sequestration cuts had prevented federal officials from providing air traffic control services for this year’s event. Gudex says fellow Fox Valley state legislators signed onto a letter he circulated asking the FAA and members of Congress to work out the issue.  EAA officials have since agreed under protest to pay the fee to secure the services.

The Republican lawmaker says the FAA was given the authority to move money around to accommodate things like air traffic control services for AirVenture but it chose not to.

Bob Nelson-KFIZ

Stevens Point will move forward on a proposal to recognize domestic partnerships. That decided at the City Council meeting Monday night.

Several residents spoke against the move on moral and religious grounds. Others supported the changes, saying it is time to treat same-sex partners equally.

Aldermen discussed the proposal at length, and pointed out language in the plan that would actually discriminate against opposite-sex couples by making city benefits available to same-sex partners. Council members amended the plan to include both, which Mayor Andrew Halverson agrees with. “That was taken care of by an amendment tonight, and I think it’s absolutely the right direction for us to move in. The same-sex component of it is recognized, as is the opposite-sex component of it, and we will be coming through with our affidavit process, our registration process which the Personnel Committee can approve next month.”

During the public hearing, residents including Ray Heitzinger asked why the Council “would be approving of sinful activity” and going against the statewide referendum in 2006 where people voted that marriage is between one man and one woman. Supporter Julie Schneider pointed out that in that 2006 referendum; no Stevens Point ward supported that position. Opponent Ben Kureck cited several Bible verses and asked, “How can you call yourself Christian if you vote yes?” Supporter Laura Goetz noted several other Bible verses related to working on Sundays to men trimming their beards, or touching the skin of a dead pig that show how people pick and choose the Bible verses they wish to believe.

Mayor Halverson says the discussion was very good from both sides of the issue, and is pleased with the decision to move forward with the change. “I’m very proud that the Alderpersons made the step that they did today, because I think the more inclusive a community can be and setting that tone, I think that always puts the community on the best foot it can have.”

City Attorney Andrew Logan Beveridge told the Council there were two state statutes to base the policy on. Section 40 or section 770 have domestic partner language, but Beveridge says there’s a difference. “Chapter 770, as Alderperson (Mike) Wiza stated, is specifically about domestic partnerships. It’s about creating a state law construct where you can register for a domestic partnership. Now, people would do that for certain purposes like having custodial rights and terms of hospital visitation, terms of end-of-live decisions, that sort of thing.” adding, “40 does not include that people be of the same-sex. 770 does.”

Beveridge says he’s glad the City Council voted to amend the proposal to include both same-sex and opposite-sex partnerships, to reduce the risk of a discrimination challenge. “I think the risk there would be small, but it’s hard to say because the courts have never answered that question, whether granting this to same-sex couples but not opposite-sex couples, whether that really does count as discrimination.”

The City Council passed the concept on a 9-2 vote. Now, Beveridge will work with the Personnel Director and the Mayor to draft the actual language of the ordinance for presentation to committees and the full council next month.

Larry Lee-WSAU

A proposal before the Stevens Point City Council Monday night is seeking to give domestic partnerships the same rights as traditional husband and wife couples.

Mayor Andrew Halverson and City Attorney Andrew Logan Beveridge drafted the changes which would change the language of city policies to openly include same sex couples or life partners, and would accept domestic partners under the city’s family insurance benefits.

Halverson believes it’s time to make these changes. “We want to be able to maintain the most all-inclusive workplace that we can possibly have, and send the message through regulations relating to Stevens Point as a workplace that Stevens Point as an overall community is extremely inclusive.”

Making changes to include domestic partnerships may be controversial, but Halverson believes it is the right thing to do. “I think it’s clearly the right thing to do. I know and understand that others will have varying opinions to that. I’m of the impression that treating people as equally as you possibly can is by far the right thing to do.”

The Domestic Partnership proposal advanced to the council without the approval of the city’s Personnel Committee. Halverson says they did not give it the reception he hoped for. “The Personnel Committee was very interesting. There was a motion to approve, and there were no comments, no seconds of any kind. In essence, the silence was somewhat deafening.”

Part of the changes proposed by Mayor Halverson includes insurance coverage for an employee’s domestic partner and the partner’s eligible children and grandchildren. Some aldermen have already said the problem lies in the language of the draft agreement. Council President Jerry Moore is one that believes the words “same sex” is discriminatory, and goes against the state laws pertaining to domestic partnerships.

Expect plenty of debate and possibly some amendments before a vote at the city council meeting.

According to Fair Wisconsin Education Fund, governmental bodies already offering domestic partner benefits include the cities of Madison, Milwaukee, Appleton, Eau Claire, and Racine plus La Crosse and Milwaukee Counties. Businesses offering domestic partnership benefits include SC Johnson, MillerCoors, Kimberly-Clark, Aurora Health Care, and American Family Insurance.

Larry Lee-WSAU