By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

The Illinois House on April 15 voted down 67-43 a bill that would have extended pension survivor benefits to same-sex partners of Illinois teachers.

HB 4731, sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), was introduced at the request of the Chicago Teachers Union and would have applied only to the Chicago Public School system.

“I’m very disappointed,” Harris said. “This was something that affected only Chicago, which Chicago teachers wanted and the Chicago Board of Education supported.”

HB 4731, according to Harris, would have cost Illinois taxpayers nothing. Costs would have come from contributions Chicago teachers already make.

Harris said House Republicans engaged supporters of the bill in the debate and would not vote for the bill because they thought it discriminated against unmarried opposite-sex couples and was unclear about the definition of a couple.

Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Highland) said passage of the bill would amount to “an important error in judgment.” Harris said Stephens expressed concern because “the way the term ‘committed couples’ was defined was so loose.” Stephens did not return phone calls for comment.

Harris added that he told the bill’s detractors, ‘I hope you vote yes on 1826, then, because that would wipe out these kinds of questions.”

HB 1826, legislation introduced by Harris last year, would allow unmarried couples to enter into civil unions that would afford many of the same rights as marriage.

Harris said the civil unions legislation would be “a test of hypocrisy on the part of Republican politicians.” If the legislators are truly concerned about the rights of unmarried opposite-sex couples, he added, then they should put their support behind HB 1826, which would apply to straight as well as gay and lesbian couples.

Harris does not plan to reintroduce the teachers legislation this session.