MADISON, Wis. -- Same-sex couples could form domestic partnerships and receive some of the same benefits as married people under Gov. Jim Doyle's new budget plan.

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In his budget address Tuesday night, Doyle made mention of the plan that could make domestic partner benefits a reality for state workers in Wisconsin.

Partners would have a right to make hospital visits and end-of-life decisions and inherit property. Public employees would be able to add partners to their health insurance coverage.

"If we want our economy to flourish, if we want to help attract and retain talented workers, it is also time to make sure our state takes some basic steps toward fairness and decency," Doyle told lawmakers. "First, we can make sure that domestic partners who work for the state have access to benefits. We can also make sure that a committed couple has visitation rights at a hospital, and the right to take the appropriate leave if one has a serious illness."

Doyle received a standing ovation from fellow Democrats who control the state Legislature when he unveiled the plan in his budget address.

The governor went on to say it was an issue of fairness, and that a lack of it could be holding certain state institutions back.

"This isn’t an issue of being gay or straight. We are not judging people's lives here. But I don't want the state to stand in the way of someone being able to care for their long-term partner. And I don't want the state to be less competitive at our university and other institutions because we don’t treat people fairly," Doyle said.

University of Wisconsin officials said that they aren't less competitive; they just aren’t competitive at all.

"We're not competitive. We don't have the capacity to include domestic partners in health insurance benefits," said Steve J. Stern, vice provost for faculty and staff. "We're the only Big Ten university that cannot do that, and so for those of us who are in the trenches trying to recruit and retain faculty, this hurts us."

Ken Cameron, a noted expert in botany at the university, said that he had to carefully consider accepting a job at the UW.

"I had to think twice about accepting the position here," he said. "To be honest, it was the 11th hour, after my partner was placed in a position of his own, that I was able to say yes."

Students on the UW-Madison campus have formed the Wisconsin Coalition for Domestic Partner Benefits, saying that anything that keeps talented faculty away from Wisconsin ultimately hurts their education. They formed the organization to create a more effective student lobby across the UW System.

"Us lobbying our local legislators might not be very effective because we're pretty sure the Madison legislators are in favor of this," student Leia Ferrari said. "But, it's legislators that represent other parts of the state that need to be convinced students care."

But critics question whether the proposal is legal under a 2006 amendment to the state constitution that banned gay marriage and "substantially similar" relationships.

Some Republican lawmakers criticized Doyle Tuesday night for failing to provide more specific numbers in regards to what such a plan might cost the state. They say they thought the state spoke when it voted to prevent an amendment on gay marriage, but the governor apparently didn’t listen, WISC-TV reported.