North Port may soon have a domestic partnership registry, giving unmarried couples some of the same rights federal and state laws already grant married couples..
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North Port’s City Commission’s expected to adopt a domestic partnership registry when they meet Monday. Among the things the registry will allow: unmarried couples to visit each other in health care facilities, and make medical, funeral, burial and other decisions for each other. Under the plan, domestic partners would pay a $30 fee at City Hall, and file paperwork in which they swear they’re not married to each other or anyone else. The couples will receive laminated cards and a certificate verifying that they are registered, which they can show to hospitals, funeral homes and other businesses that might otherwise limit the partners’ ability to represent each other.