The Domestic Partnerships Act.

State Representative Mark Pafford is the sponsor of the Florida House bill the Domestic Partnerships Act. Rick Kriseman is the co-sponsor of the bill

Domestic Partnerships: Sets fees & costs for dissolution or registration of domestic partnership; requires DOH to examine certificates of domestic partnership & dissolution reports; requires clerk to transmit declarations of domestic partnership; authorizes DOH to issue certified copy of certain vital records to domestic partner; includes domestic partnership within domestic violence provisions; requires DOH to create & distribute forms; provides jurisdiction over partnership proceedings; requires partnership registry; requires form to be filed to form partnership & specifies contents; authorizes partners to retain surnames; provides that any privilege or responsibility granted or imposed by statute, administrative or court rule, policy, common law, or any other law because individual is or was related to another by marriage, or is child of either spouse, is granted on equivalent terms to domestic partners or individuals similarly related to domestic partners; provides exceptions; provides methods to prove existence of partnership when certificate is lost or unavailable; provides for termination of partnership.

So far there is no pdf file of the bill. The legislation addresses recognizing domestic partnership. Nowhere in the language is gay marriage mentioned. What is unclear is if the bill will recognize gay marriages and domestic partnerships from out of state. Currently no gay or lesbian couple can get a gay marriage or partnership license.

Florida Senator Senator Eleanor Sobel is sponsoring a Senate version of the bill. Sadly, the House and Senate bills will die in the chambers. Republicans hold supermajorites. Pafford, Kriseman and Sobel should be commended for their political courage.