Palm Beach County Expands Civil Rights Protections

 

Chris Joseph | New Times | September 22, 2015

Palm Beach County Commissioners have unanimously voted to expand civil rights protections for minorities by redefining “places of public accommodation” in the Palm Beach County Ordinance for Equal Opportunity to Housing and Places of Public Accommodation.

The vote, which passed in 6-0 decision, was held Tuesday morning.

Specifically, the amendment will now mean that it is prohibited to discriminate not only in hotels or restaurants — which the original ordinance was written for — but also in retail stores and other places of business throughout the county.

Read more

Delray Beach Becomes 5th Palm Beach County City to Enact LGBT-Inclusive Civil Rights Ordinance

Media Release Delray Beach Becomes 5th Palm Beach County City to Enact LGBT-Inclusive Civil Rights Ordinance  Delray Beach Becomes 5th Palm Beach County City to Enact LGBT-Inclusive Civil Rights Ordinance (Delray Beach, Florida) — At this evening’s meeting, the Delray Beach City Commission members unanimously voted to enact a civil rights ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, genetic information, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, pregnancy, familial status, or age. The ordinance was proposed by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local nonprofit organization which is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Delray Beach joins local cities Boynton Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach which have enacted similar ordinances since 1994. “Delray Beach understands the concepts of equality, diversity and inclusion,” said Palm Beach County Human Rights Council volunteer Marcie Hall, the Delray Beach resident who led the organization’s effort for the ordinance. “Tonight our city leaders have made it clear that everyone is valued for the diversity they bring to Delray Beach.” “Delray Beach is a first-class city with a diverse community,” said Mayor Cary Glickstein, a longtime supporter of LGBT rights. “This ordinance lets people know that Delray Beach is open for business for everyone and that we oppose prejudice and discrimination of all kinds.” “While marriage equality is now the law of the land across America, the state of Florida Florida lacks a statewide laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations,” said Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.  “Therefore, until Congress or the Florida Legislature takes action, local LGBT advocacy rights organizations such as PBCHRC must continue to work with county and municipal leaders to protect our community from discrimination.” In addition to five cities in Palm Beach County, only 13 other Florida municipalities – Atlantic Beach, Dunedin, Gainesville,  Gulfport, Key West, Leesburg, Miami, Miami Beach, Oakland Park, Orlando, Tampa, Venice and Wilton Manors — have enacted  LGBT-inclusive municipal civil rights ordinances. The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is currently working to convince elected officials in Lake Clark Shores, Palm Beach Gardens and Wellington to enact similar ordinances. Although Florida has sixty-seven counties, only ten – Palm Beach, Alachua, Broward, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Volusia Counties –  have LGBT-inclusive civil rights ordinances. “Fifty-seven counties and 393 municipalities in Florida have yet to take steps to prohibit discrimination against the LGBT community,” said Hoch.  “Despite the fact that LGBT people have achieved marriage equality, much work remains to be done to assure equal rights and protections for LGBT Floridians.” ### For immediate release on July 7, 2015   For further information, contact: Judge Rand Hoch (retired), PBCHRC President and Founder (561) 358-0105 rand-hoch@usa.net Visit our Website www.pbchrc.org Visit our Blog: pbchrc.blogspot.com/ Follow us on Facebook PBCHRC Follow us on Twitter PBCHRC   The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, Inc. is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The Council promotes equality through education, advocacy, direct action, impact litigation, and community outreach. Palm  Beach County Human Rights Council Post Office Box 267 West Palm Beach, Florida 33402 (561) 358-0105   www.pbchrc.org               pbchrc@gmail.com

Palm Beach Gardens City Council Approves Domestic Partnership Health Insurance Benefits

Press Release Palm Beach Gardens City Council Approves Domestic Partnership Health Insurance Benefits For immediate release: September 11, 2013 For further information, contact: Rand Hoch, PBCHRC President and Founder 561-358-0105 rand-hoch@usa.net (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) –At last night’s meeting the Palm Beach Gardens City Council voted unanimously to offer health insurance benefits to municipal employees’ domestic partners and their dependent children. In 2007, at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. the city recognized employees’ domestic partners with regard to  personal leave, acute illness leave, bereavement leave and the Employee  Assistance Program.  However,citing hard economic times, the city declined to offer employees with domestic partners equal health insurance benefits. The    Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) is a local non-profit    organization which, for the last 25 years, has been dedicated to ending    discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender    expression.  The organization has also been the prime mover for   domestic  partnership benefits for public employees in Palm Beach County   for more  than two decades. Since 2007, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council continued to ask city officials to consider extending health insurance to employees’ domestic partners, Last February,  PBCHRC Vice President Jessica Blackman, a Palm Beach Gardens resident, sent a letter to City Council members, renewing the organizations request. “On Valentine’s Day, it seems  appropriate to ask the City Council to now offer the same family health  insurance benefits to employees with domestic partnerships as the city  has long offered to married employees.” However, again citing economic hardship, City Manager Ron Farris informed Blackman that because of hard economic times, the city was still not in a position to extend equal family benefits to employees with domestic partners. During the summer, based on the city’s growing economy and other factors, the city’s bond rating was upgraded from “stable” to positive”.In addition, the city’s finances were strengthened by the savings the city incurred by the decision to self-insure its employees for insurance. Last week, Palm Beach Gardens firefighter/paramedic Sloan Grimsley sent a letter to Ferris renewing her request for the city to consider offering domestic partnership health insurance.Grimsley and her wife, who were married in New York, are raising the family’s two adopted children. Although Grimsley currently pays for dependent coverage to provide  health insurance for her children, her wife is not covered under the  existing Palm Beach Gardens policy. During the budget discussions at last night’s City Council meeting,  Ferris alluded to the requests made by Grimsley and other employees, as well as those made by residents and PBCHRC, In light of those requests, he told the City Council that staff had looked into providing health insurance to domestic partners and their dependents and determined the benefits were now affordable. Ferris estimated the annual cost to be “somewhere between fifty and one hundred thousand dollars annually”, depending on the number of enrollees. With less than 20 minutes of discussion, the City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to implement the benefits, with a target date of January 1, 2013. “What happened in Palm Beach Gardens last night probably sets a national record for the shortest deliberations on domestic partnership benefits,” said Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. “The city manager was fully prepared and an excellent job explaining the issue to the City Council Members,” said Hoch. “I am happy Palm Beach Gardens is moving in this direction,” said City Council Member David Levy.  “Our city recognizes the value of all of our employees” As a result of the efforts of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, domestic partnership benefits are currently offered by the municipalities of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington and West Palm Beach, as well as by Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County School District, the Port of Palm Beach, the Palm Beach County Health Care District, Palm Beach State College, the Children’s Services Council, Palm Tran, Seacoast Utility Authority,  the Solid Waste Authority and all five of Palm Beach County’s constitutional officers. More than sixty-five public employers across Florida now provide domestic partnership benefits to their employees.

Palm Beach County Commissioners Provide Federal Tax Relief for Employees with Domestic Partners

Press Release Palm Beach County Commissioners Provide Federal Tax Relief for Employees with Domestic Partners For immediate release: September 10, 2013 For further information, contact: Rand Hoch, PBCHRC President and   Founder (561) 358-0105 rand-hoch@usa.net (West Palm Beach, Florida) — At this morning’s meeting, the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners directed staff to draft a tax equity policy to reimburse employees for the additional federal income taxes they pay on the value of their domestic partners’ health insurance benefits.  When the policy is implemented, Palm Beach County will become the nation’s largest public employer to provide tax relief for employees with domestic partners. Four of the Florida’s seven tax equity policies have been instituted by public employers in Palm Beach County, placing the county at the forefront of the tax equity movement nationwide. Within the past year, policies to offset the additional federal tax burden paid by employees who insure their domestic partners were adopted by the City of West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and the Constitutional Tax Collector for Palm Beach County. More tax equity policies have been enacted by public in employers Florida than in the remaining 49 states combined. “Once again, elected officials in Palm Beach County have taken steps to ensure that employees with domestic partners receive equal take home pay for equal work,” said Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC). PBCHRC is a non-profit organization, which, for the last 25 years, has been dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.  The organization has also been the prime mover for domestic partnership benefits in Palm Beach County for more than two decades. At PBCHRC’s request, in mid-summer County Commissioner Mary Lou Berger formally asked County staff to   look into providing a reimbursement to county employees who were subject to the additional federal tax burden. “It is not fair for employees with domestic partners to have to pay more than their married co-workers,” said Berger. In the Executive Brief prepared for county commissioners by the risk management department,staff explained that a tax equity policy would provide $135,783 in tax relief for the forty-eight county employees who insure their domestic partners. “Commissioner Berger’s leadership on workplace equality issues is exemplary,” said Hoch. “County staff also did an excellent job in preparing the executive brief for the county commissioners,” “In light of last week’s IRS determination to treat same-sex and opposite-sex married taxpayers equally, the cost of implementing the tax equity policy will actually be less than expected,” Hoch predicted. “If any gay and lesbian county employees were married in states which permit same-sex marriages, then they are no longer subject to the additional federal income taxes,” explained Hoch.  “Therefore, they would not be in need of the tax relief to be provided by the tax equity  policy.” At the suggestion of Palm Beach County Mayor Steven Abrams, Palm Beach County will model its new policy after one utilized by the City of Miami Beach, which has the most comprehensive tax reimbursement policy in the nation.

Despite delays, hope on gay rights issues

Official seal of City of Boca Raton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Marci Shatzman | Sun Sentinel | July 17, 2013

There was no groundswell to grant Boca Raton gay employees domestic partnership benefits or extend the city’s policy to cover their civil rights, despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that married same-sex couples could qualify for federal benefits.

Councilwoman Constance Scott’s decision to bring those and two related matters up came at the end of the last city council meeting. “I recommend bringing all of them forward and having an opportunity to vote on them,” she said.

But after discussions, council directed staff to first ask Wellington, which has a domestic partnership policy, and the state Attorney General. That was seen as delaying tactics. But Scott and Rand Hoch, who heads the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, are still optimistic that Boca Raton city leadership will come around.

“I am hopeful our elected officials will recognize the importance of adopting policies that will provide protection against sex discrimination and gender expression,” Scott said in an email.

Read more

FL: Palm Beach County Commissioners to Address Tax Equity for Employees with Domestic Partners

For immediate release:

July 1, 2013

For further information, contact:

Rand Hoch, PBCHRC President and   Founder

(561) 358-0105 rand-hoch@usa.net

 

Press Release Palm Beach County Commissioners to Address Tax Equity for Employees with Domestic Partners

(West Palm Beach, Florida) — At tomorrow’s meeting of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, Commissioner Mary Lou Berger will ask her colleagues to direct staff to look into providing a reimbursement to County employees whose domestic partners are covered by the County’s health insurance plans. The purpose of the reimbursement is to offset the unequal federal tax burden. As a result of last week’s Supreme Court decision striking down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), same-sex married employees now join opposite-sex married employees in being exempt from paying federal taxes on the value of their spouses health insurance benefits.  However, all unmarried employees in domestic partnerships are still required to pay federal taxes on the imputed value of the health insurance benefits provided to their partners. Both the Florida Constitution and various Florida laws prohibit gay men and lesbians from marrying their partners. Berger is making her proposal at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a non-profit organization,  which for the last 25 years has been dedicated to ending discrimination  based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. A significant percentage of County employees who will be affected by the proposals are in opposite-sex domestic partnerships. “This is not a gay issue,” said Council President and Founder Rand Hoch,  “This is a pay issue.” “It makes no sense for some employees to pay higher taxes than other employees earning the same salary for the identical family health insurance benefits,” Hoch wrote in a letter to the County Commissioners. “It comes down to an issue of equal take-home pay for equal work,” Hoch added.            Rand Hoch             “It is not fair for employees with domestic partners to have to pay more than their married co-workers,” said Berger. Florida leads the nation in enacting laws and establishing policies to increase employees salaries to help offset the additional federal tax burden on domestic partner health insurance. Last month, the City of Miami Beach enacted the nation’s most comprehensive tax equity ordinance.  The policy fully reimburses municipal employees for the additional federal taxes. In May, the City of West Palm Beach enacted a similar — but slightly weaker — tax equity ordinance. “The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council hopes the the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners will use the Miami Beach ordinance as a model,” said Hoch. Other public employers in Florida have addressed the federal tax inequity by paying annual $500 stipends to partially offset the additional federal taxes.  These employers include the City of Hallandale Beach, the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and the Constitutional Tax Collectors in Palm Beach and Orange County. ###

 

Palm Beach County to Consider Tax Equity Ordinance

Press Release Palm Beach County to Consider Tax Equity Ordinance
(West Palm Beach, Florida) —  Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary Lou Berger will soon ask her colleagues on the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to enact a Tax Equity Ordinance to provide a reimbursement to eligible County employees whose domestic partners are covered by the County’s health insurance plans. The purpose of the reimbursement is to offset the unequal tax burden imposed by federal law. Under current IRS regulations, employees with domestic partners   are taxed on the value of the health insurance benefits provided to their domestic partners.  Opposite-sex married couples are not subject to such taxes. “It is quite significant that Commissioner Berger is raising this issue,” said Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is a non-profit organization, which for the last 25 years has been dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. “As a newly elected public official, Commissioner Berger has no voting record on domestic partnership issues,” said Hoch.  “By taking the leadership role on the tax equity ordinance, Commissioner Berger has made it clear that she is fully supportive of equal take-home pay for equal work.” Based on the make-up of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, Hoch expects the County Commission to enact the tax equity ordinance with bipartisan support later this year. Throughout their careers, Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Priscilla Taylor  and Commissioners Paulette Burdick , Jess Santamaria, Hal Valeche and Shelley Vana have all voted in favor of domestic partnership ordinances and policies, according to Hoch. Palm Beach County Mayor Steven Abrams is the only current County Commissioner who has no voting record on domestic partnership issues. Prior to serving on the County Commission, Abrams served on the Boca Raton City Council.  He also served two terms as the city’s mayor. “Despite numerous requests made over the years, the City of Boca Raton has steadfastly refused to formally address domestic partnership benefits,” said Hoch. However, Hoch is optimistic that Abrams can be persuaded to support the tax equity ordinance. “It makes no sense for some employees to pay higher taxes than other employees earning the same salary for the identical family health insurance benefits,” Hoch wrote in a letter to Abrams. “This is not a gay issue,” Hoch added.  “This is a pay issue.” Florida leads the nation in enacting laws and establishing policies to increase employees salaries to help offset the additional federal tax burden on domestic partner health insurance. Earlier this month, the City of Miami Beach enacted the nation’s most comprehensive tax equity ordinance.  The policy fully reimburses municipal employees for the additional federal taxes. In May, the City of West Palm Beach enacted a similar — but slightly weaker — tax equity ordinance. “The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council hopes the the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners will use the Miami Beach ordinance as a model,” said Hoch. Other public employers in Florida have addressed the federal tax inequity by paying annual $500 stipends to partially offset the additional federal taxes.  These employers include the City of Hallandale Beach, the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and the Constitutional Tax Collectors in Palm Beach and Orange County. ###	For immediate release:June 17, 2013 For further information, contact: Rand Hoch, PBCHRC President and   Founder (561) 358-0105 rand-hoch@usa.net Visit our Website www.pbchrc.org Visit our Blog: pbchrc.blogspot.com/ Follow us on Facebook PBCHRC Follow us on Twitter PBCHRC

Constitutional Tax Collector Implements Domestic Partnership Tax Equity Program

For immediate release:

January 28, 2013

For further information, contact:

Rand Hoch,

President and Founder

561-358-0105

rand-hoch@usa.net

Constitutional Tax Collector Implements Domestic Partnership Tax Equity Program

(West Palm Beach, Florida) —   Palm Beach County Constitutional Tax Collector Anne M. Gannon has implemented a policy to offset the additional taxes paid by employees who elect to provide health insurance to their domestic partners.  The action was taken upon the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.
The  Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a non-profit organization, has been the prime mover for domestic partnership benefits in Palm Beach County for more than two decades.
“Tax Collector Gannon’s pro-family tax equity policy is to be commended,” said Council President Rand Hoch.
Under federal tax laws, unmarried employees with domestic partners and same-sex married couples are taxed on the imputed value of employer-paid family health insurance benefits.  In contrast, opposite-sex married employees with the same family coverage are not taxed on the value of that same family health insurance coverage.
Federal legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code to end the taxation of health insurance benefits provided to domestic partners was first introduced in 2003 by Florida Senator Bob Graham; however, no progress has been made at the national level.
“My employees whose families are based on domestic partnerships pay more federal taxes than married employees for the same family health insurance coverage,” said Gannon. “That is unfair.  I won’t wait any longer for Congress to end this inequity.”
Gannon’s tax equity policy provides employees who elect to insure their domestic partners with an annual tax equity reimbursement of $500.00 to mitigate the impact of the additional income taxes paid by employees with domestic partners.  The policy goes into effect this month.          TD Bank announced recently that it will begin offsetting the tax burden that its employees pay for domestic-partner benefits.  Other private employers who have implemented similar programs include American Express, Apple, Bank of America Corp.,Cisco Systems Inc, Corning, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Kimpton Hotels, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley and Yahoo!
Last month, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser Gary Nikolits also implemented a similar tax equity program for his employees
“Palm Beach County’s elected officials such as Tax Collector Anne Gannon and Property Appraiser Gary Nikolits know it is unfair to wait for Congress to pass a  law to ease the tax burden on employees who insure their domestic partners,” said Hoch.  “They are among the few elected officials nationwide who have acted to level the playing field for their employees.”
In public employment, only Cambridge (Massachusetts), Hallandale Beach (Florida).  Palm Beach County Property Appraiser Gary Nikolits, and now Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon have taken steps to address this tax inequity, according to Hoch.
West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio recently informed the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council that the City of West Palm Beach will consider a tax equity program for the city’s municipal employees.  Attorneys for the cities of West Palm Beach and Miami Beach are working together to draft a policy which they hope will become the model for tax equity programs for public employers nationwide.

###