The Families First Bill, a proposed statewide domestic partner registry, will be up for a vote before the Florida Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs today.
The hearing is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. According to Nadine Smith with Equality Florida, the bill’s supporters have been told they get 15 minutes total to testify in favor of this bill. Orlando attorney and LGBT activist Mary Meeks will speak on behalf of supporters of a statewide domestic partner registry.
A previous vote on the bill was scheduled for March 12, but several members of the Florida Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs were unable to attend the meeting, including key supporter Sen. Geralidine Thompson (D-Orange County), so it was temporarily postponed.
Sen. Eleanor Sobel (D-Hollywood) first filed the bill in January, then refiled it for the March vote and again for today’s vote.
On Feb. 19, the committee rejected the bill despite strong support from speakers in favor of the registry. Several of the Senators who indicated that they would not move the bill forward said it was because the bill was not specific enough in the rights it would provide domestic partners.
