Tampa – The Hillsborough County Commission will hold its final vote on a Domestic Partnership Registry at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15—and it has a good chance of passing.
The registry would give domestic partners a handful of legal rights concerning hospital visitation, health care decision-making, funeral and burial decisions, visitation in a correctional facility and guardianship of children.
The commission has voted twice—unanimously—for the registry, which is a reversal from January 2013, when the commission first considered the measure and declined to move forward on it with a 4-3 vote.
Commissioner Victor Crist hopes to take the registry one step further for non-committed individuals. The HELP initiative (Health, Education and Life Planning) would allow citizens of Hillsborough County to elect a specific individual to make decisions for them in case of an emergency.
The meeting will be held at the County Commission Chambers in downtown Tampa. Supporters of the registry are encouraged to attend the meeting and wear red to show support.
