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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's benefits plan hits its first snag.
Today was supposed to be the day Anderson would make Salt Lake City Utah's first governmental body to offer health benefits to gay and unmarried heterosexual partners of city employees.
However, the Public Employees Health Program raised legal concerns about Anderson's plan yesterday. P-E-H-P is a state agency that administers benefits for Salt Lake City. The agency now say they will file legal action as early as this week asking a court to determine whether Anderson's benefits plan is legal under state law.
P-E-H-P officials say until they get that legal ruling, the organization won't administer those unmarried-partner benefits.
P-E-H-P Director Linn Baker says state legislators against Anderson's plan contacted them and raised the legal questions, prompting the agency's nervousness.
However, Anderson says he will still go ahead and sign the executive order today.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
