TEXAS: Benefits To Be Extended To Spouses Of Gay State Employees

Via the Austin Statesman:

The state bureaucracy is moving forward to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision, even as statewide elected leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have lambasted the landmark ruling. Starting Wednesday — less than a week after the decision — the Employees Retirement System of Texas, the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System will extend benefits to spouses of gay and lesbian employees. That means the list of employers providing same-sex partner benefits will include the state’s largest: the state itself. Meanwhile, at the local level, despite the saber-rattling of Abbott and other top Republicans, a growing number of county clerks were issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

More than 100 out of 254 Texas counties are issuing marriage licenses so far.