This Week in Lesbian News…

New Hampshire’s gay marriage bill was rejected, legislation for fair tax treatment was introduced, and Pennsylvania voters are split when it comes to equal rights. All that and more in a week of lesbian news…

NH Marriage Bill Rejected. The New Hampshire House unexpectedly rejected the amended gay marriage bill last week. The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday morning but the House rejected the measure, 188-186, later that day – forcing state lawmakers to negotiate a compromise. It will now be sent to a committee that will try to resolve the differences between the two chambers. The bill would have made the state the sixth in the United States to authorize gay marriage.

Legislation To Provide Fair Tax Treatment For Domestic Partners Introduced. The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act was introduced last week in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.  The bill, sponsored by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) in the Senate and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), in the House, would end the tax inequities regarding employer-provided health insurance for domestic partners. “This legislation is as fair and common-sense as it gets,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese in a press release issued by the HRC. “Over half of Fortune 500 companies now offer domestic partner health benefits to their employees, and there is no logical reason why these benefits should be taxed any differently. This bill is a win-win proposal for both workers and businesses.”

Washington Governor Signs Expansive Domestic Partnership Law. Governor Christine Gregoire signed an expansion of the domestic partnership law last week in Washington state.  Almost all the rights of married couples are now available to same-sex couples, although anti-LGBT forces are trying to overturn the law.

John McCain’s Daughter Advocates for Gay Marriage. Meghan McCain, the daughter of former Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain of Arizona, wrote an opinion piece that appeared in Friday’s New York Daily News in which she pressed New York legislators to extend marriage protections to same-sex couples and called on the state’s Republican senators to offer their support and make the difference to pass the marriage bill.

Poll Shows Increasing Support for Marriage Equality in PA. In a Muhlenberg College/Allentown Morning Call survey released last week results showed that support for extending marriage to same-sex couples is increasing in Pennsylvania, shifting from 35 percent in 2004 to 42 percent in 2009.  On Tuesday Penn. Sen. John Eichelberger announced his plans to introduce an amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples and, according the poll, voters are also evenly split on that issue.