This change is long overdue and will make Virginia a more competitive work environment. The realitiies of family life are such that not everyone can fit into a narrowly defined traditional model. Many corporations have already made these changes to their human resources design, which is a means of becoming an employer of choice. Other states have also adopted a model of household status rather than family status, again as a means of competing for the best employees to become friendly to a range of corporate entities. As many others in this forum have pointed out, making this change in VA will make it easier to attract the best candidates at our universities and in our administrative agencies. Yes, Virginia, the time has come.