New law, same hurdles.

Byline: Eric Anderson

July 10--Albany For same-sex couples, New York's new marriage legislation will open up a range of employment and tax benefits. But some benefits, thanks to a federal law called the Defense of Marriage Act, will remain off-limits. Human resource managers are sorting through what the new marriage law, which takes effect on July 24, will mean. Many companies already offer health insurance coverage to domestic partners, and expect little impact from the law. A survey of large companies found that more than half already offer domestic partner benefits, said Paul Fronstin, director of the health research and education program at the Employee Benefit Research Institute. "Because we've had it for years, it really doesn't make much of a difference," said Sue Bishop, a spokeswoman for General Electric Co., which has had domestic partner benefits in place since 2004. While a few …