WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman, Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and 19 other co-sponsors introduced legislation recently to extend domestic partner benefits to federal employees.

More than half of Fortune 500 companies and almost 10,000 other companies provide benefits to domestic partners. So do hundreds of state and local governments and scores of colleges and universities.

“It’s time for the federal government to catch up to the private sector, not just to set an example but so that it can compete for the most qualified employees and ensure that all of our public servants receive fair and equitable treatment,” said Lieberman.

Under the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act of 2007, a federal employee and same-sex domestic partner would be eligible to participate in federal health benefits, the Family and Medical Leave program, long-term care, insurance and retirement benefits. Such employees and their domestic partners would also assume the same obligations that apply to married employees and their spouses, such as anti-nepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements.

Lieberman and Smith introduced similar legislation last Congress.