Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has vetoed a bill that would have given the state government more time to address a state Supreme Court ruling mandating same-sex partner benefits to state employees, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Lawmakers passed the bill barring the implementation of same-sex benefits during a special session last November.
In 2005, the high court determined that, despite a 1998 voter-approved constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, the state's equal-protection clause gives state employees and retirees the right to same-sex benefits. The court set a deadline of Jan. 1, 2007, for that benefit system to be in place.
Palin said she had no choice but to veto the bill because it presented a constitutional challenge and would have put her in contempt of court.
"Signing this bill would be in direct violation of my oath of office," she said.
Republican Rep. John Coghill, the bill's sponsor, said he was disappointed by the veto.
"I would have like to have seen her stand up to the courts," he said. "This court is off base."
In December, Palin signed a bill that calls for a non-binding advisory vote that will ask residents to weigh in as to whether there should be a constitutional amendment that limits benefits to married couples. The April 3 vote is intended to help guide legislators.
"It is the governor's intention," a statement from Palin's office said, "to work with the Legislature and to give the people of Alaska an opportunity to express their wishes and intentions whether these benefits should continue."
