Employees' Retirement Fund of Dallas Votes Unanimously to Move Forward with Proposal Granting Benefits to Same Sex Partners
DALLAS, Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of the Employees' Retirement Fund of Dallas (ERF) today voted unanimously to move forward with a proposal to provide joint and survivor benefits to same-sex partners. Board members worked together to address concerns how such benefits might be provided under Chapter 40A of the Dallas City Code.
"Our goal has always been to make this important change," said Carla Brewer, Chair of the Fund. "Working together in good faith with the LGBT Community and with help and advice from Gary Lawson, our legal counsel, we have developed a two-step process we believe will get us to the finish line quickly."
Under the resolution passed today the Fund would request an opinion from the Dallas City Attorney that the Fund is required to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court United States v. Windsor decision, in which the court ruled a federal law making the terms "marriage" and "spouse" apply only to heterosexual couples, was unconstitutional. Once the city attorney has provided this opinion letter the Fund will recommend an amendment of the plan to the Dallas City Council to provide joint and survivor death benefits to same sex couples.
If the U.S. Supreme Court fails to find state bans on same sex marriage unconstitutional, leaving intact the Texas Constitution's definition of marriage, the Fund would be obligated to try to recover any benefits paid. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision is expected sometime in June.
"Today's vote is a big step forward for our community," said Brewer. "We are working with a city code that was written long before this was ever an issue and with a fast moving legal landscape where there seem to be new court decisions every day.
"The resolution passed today is a prudent, proactive plan to move forward and I want to commend everyone on our board, our staff, our outside legal counsel and the members of the LGBT community for finding a creative way to move forward."
SOURCE Employees’ Retirement Fund of Dallas
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