There are several ways to win the vote needed to move a bill through a committee.  The first way is to garner a majority of the votes.  Another way, if the vote is tied, is to influence and count on one of the “No” votes not to show up for the committee meeting.  

The latter appears to be what happened when Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R) did not attend the April 1, 2013 meeting when the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs approved SB 196 Domestic Partnerships by a 5 to 4 vote.  Although the Senate Committee failed to report the vote by senators on this document here is how the committee voted:

Thankfully, this legislation is not moving in the Florida House of Representatives.  HB 259 has been assigned to the following four committees:  Civil Justice Subcommittee, Health and Human Services Committee, Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee and Judiciary Committee -HJ 40.  HB 259 is currently not scheduled to be heard in any committee.  Therefore, at this stage of the 2013 Florida Legislative Session Domestic Partnerships is most unlikely to pass.
 
It was important to oppose this legislation in the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs because of the threat posed by incremental advancement.  Additionally, it was very disappointing to see Florida Senate President Don Gaetz (Republican) assign the chair position for the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs to the liberal Democratic Senator Eleanor Sobel who sponsored  SB 196.

Republican Senator Nancy Detert made it clear after hearing from the public during the February 19, 2013 meeting that she  could not support the bill as written but would support a Domestic Partnership bill if it were modeled similar to the one adopted by the City of Sarasota.  Senator Sobel rewrote her bill to Detert's approval and resubmitted it for a vote. 

Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R)
portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov
Tallahassee (850) 487-5040
District office Miami (305) 643-7200

Senator Nancy Detert (R)
detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
Tallahassee (850) 487-5028
Venice Office Phone (941) 480-3547
Venice Office FAX (941) 480-3549

March 9, 2013 article and email alert.

Florida Senator Nancy Detert Only Republican to indicate support for bill. Detert is the SWING vote.

Florida Senate Committee reconsiders vote to approve Florida sanctioned Domestic Partnerships (ie Gay Marriage.) Florida Senate committee delays March 12th vote on Domestic Partnerships due to a member’s absence. The email for this campaign has been deactivated.

The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs did not hear the Domestic Partnership bill SB 196 Families First as scheduled for March 12 at 2:00 PM.  Senator Geraldine F. "Geri" Thompson (D) was absent from the committee meeting.  Senator Eleanor Sobel request that the committee temporarily postpone the vote on SB 196 which they did.  Florida Family Association is waiting for the committee to post the next meeting date.

The Florida Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs considered SB 196 on February 19, 2013.  However, a voice vote failed to pass the measure.  To avert the deadly vote, Senator Sobel, Chair of this committee and sponsor of SB 196, asked the committee to temporarily postpone final action on the bill until she could rewrite it apparently to the liking of Republican Senator Nancy Detert. 

Several pro-family leaders spoke during the February 19, 2013 committee meeting in opposition to the bill.  Those speakers in opposition included John Stemberger President of Florida Family Action, Michael B. Sheedy, Director for Public Policy for the Florida Catholic Conference of Bishops and Bill Bunkley President of Florida Voices.

John Stemberger, Florida Family Action president, made the most compelling argument to the committee on February 19, 2013.  Mr. Stemberger  pointed out that the bill was unconstitutional because it violated the Florida Defense of Marriage Act.  Stemberger told the committee that  unlike the language used by cities and counties across Florida that adopted Domestic Partnership Registries, SB 196 was much broader.  This broader language violated the “substantial equivalent to marriage” prohibition in the Florida Defense of Marriage Act.
 
Republican Senator Nancy Detert made it clear  after hearing from the public that she  could not support the bill as written but would support a Domestic Partnership bill if it were modeled similar to the one adopted by the City of Sarasota. 

Senator Sobel rewrote the bill.  Now Senator Sobel is looking to Senator Nancy Detert’s swing vote to pass this legislation through the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs.

SB 196 ironically named “Families First” would set up a Domestic Partnership registry in Florida.   Here is the language of the bill:  “Families First; Setting forth fees and costs to be applied when petitioning for a dissolution of a domestic partnership or registering a domestic partnership, respectively; requiring that certain fees relating to declarations of domestic partnership and dissolution of domestic partnership filings be deposited in the Displaced Homemaker Trust Fund; requiring two individuals who wish to become partners in a domestic partnership to complete and file a Declaration of Domestic Partnership form with the clerk of the circuit court; providing methods to prove the existence of a registered Declaration Domestic Partnership when the certificate document has been lost or is otherwise unavailable, etc.”

Every alleged benefit of this legislation can be accomplished through private contract or authorization forms.  In all cases Health Care Surrogate, Power of Attorney and other lawful designations of authority by one person to another must be performed on a separate private agreement form.  This negates the need for this legislation.

Homosexual activists are essentially using the Families First ie Domestic Partnership bill SB 196 to legalize same sex marriage in Florida.  SB 196 does nothing but add government bureaucracy while advancing legal recognition of same sex relationships.  Heterosexual couples are not demanding this legislation.  They can marry if they want their relationship legally recognized.  SB 196 is being pushed by homosexual activists who demand that the State of Florida legally recognize same-sex relationships.  

Florida Family Association has prepared an email for you to send to Florida Senate President Don Gaetz and members of the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs.

The email for this campaign has been deactivated.

Florida Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs contact information.
 

February 19, 2013 article and email alert.

Florida Senator Nancy Detert (R) Sarasota

Senate sponsor TPs Domestic Partnership bill after SB 196 loses voice vote.  Your emails made a difference. However, Republican Senator Nancy Detert made it clear she would support leaner language.  This bill will likely come back.  Please click here to send your email to senators on the committee.

Florida Family Association sent out email alert on February 18, 2013 which reported that the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committee would hear the Domestic Partnership bill SB 196 Families First on February 19, 2013 at 1:00 PM.

Thousands of Florida Family Association supporters sent emails to the senators on the committee opposing the legislation.
 
Several pro-family leaders spoke during the committee meeting in opposition to the bill.  Those speakers in opposition included John Stemberger President of Florida Family Action, Michael B. Sheedy, Director for Public Policy for the Florida Catholic Conference of Bishops and Bill Bunkley President of Florida Voices.

John Stemberger, Florida Family Action president, made the most compelling argument to the committee.  Mr. Stemberger  pointed out that the bill was unconstitutional because it violated the Florida Defense of Marriage Act.  Stemberger told the committee that  unlike the language used by cities and counties across Florida that adopted Domestic Partnership Registries, SB 196 was much broader.  This broader language violated the “substantial equivalent to marriage” prohibition in the Florida Defense of Marriage Act.
 
Republican Senator Nancy Detert made it clear  after hearing from the public that she  could not support the bill as written but would support a Domestic Partnership bill if it were modeled similar to the one adopted by the City of Sarasota.  If Sobel rewrites the bill to Detert’s liking the bill will most likely pass this committee since Detert is the swing vote.

The committee rejected SB 196 by voice vote.  The language proposed at the committee meeting lost by one vote.  Committee Chair and sponsor of SB 196 Eleanor Sobel said after the voice vote that she wanted to “TP” (temporarily postpone) the action taken on the bill.  Therefore, the bill will most likely be back with narrower language and could pass this committee because of Senator Detert’s support for leaner wording.

Your emails made a difference.  Your emails reminded senators that many people are opposed to legislation that formalizes same-sex relationships.  Sixty-two percent (62%) of Florida’s voters said Yes to the Florida Defense of Marriage Act which defines marriage as only between one man and one woman.

Florida Family Association will closely monitor this bill. 

If you have not sent your email to the senators on this committee you still need to send it since this bill will likely return.  Click here to send your email.

SB 196 ironically named “Families First” would set up a Domestic Partnership registry in Florida.   Here is the language of the bill:  “Families First; Setting forth fees and costs to be applied when petitioning for a dissolution of a domestic partnership or registering a domestic partnership, respectively; requiring that certain fees relating to declarations of domestic partnership and dissolution of domestic partnership filings be deposited in the Displaced Homemaker Trust Fund; requiring two individuals who wish to become partners in a domestic partnership to complete and file a Declaration of Domestic Partnership form with the clerk of the circuit court; providing methods to prove the existence of a registered Declaration Domestic Partnership when the certificate document has been lost or is otherwise unavailable, etc.”

Homosexual activists are essentially using the Families First ie Domestic Partnership bill SB 196 to legalize same sex marriage in Florida.  

Every alleged benefit of this legislation can be accomplished through private contract or authorization forms.  In all cases Health Care Surrogate, Power of Attorney and other lawful designations of authority by one person to another must be performed on a separate private agreement form.  This negates the need for this legislation.

SB 196 does nothing but add government bureaucracy while advancing legal recognition of same sex relationships.    

Heterosexual couples are not demanding this legislation.  They can marry if they want their relationship legally recognized.  

SB 196 is being pushed by homosexual activists who demand that the State of Florida legally recognize same-sex relationships.  

Florida Family Association has prepared an email for you to send to Florida Senate President Don Gaetz and members of the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committee.

To send your email, please click the following link, enter your name and email address then click the "Send Your Message" button.  You may change the subject and/or text of the email.

Please click here to send your email Florida Senate President Don Gaetz and members of the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committee.

Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee email addresses:

hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov
gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov
altman.thad.web@flsenate.gov
braynon.oscar.web@flsenate.gov
clemens.jeff.web@flsenate.gov
dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov
detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov
grimsley.denise.web@flsenate.gov