Last year a bill making cohabitation legal in Florida died in committee. This time around a bill to repeal the prohibition on cohabitation was passed in a 10-3 vote on Wednesday in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
The law making it illegal to live together if you are not married has been on the books since 1868. If caught, it is a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail.
Currently Florida, Michigan and Mississippi are the only states to currently enforce the law. According to the 2010 census, there are almost 549,000 unmarried couples living together in the state.
The current bill is being sponsored by Democrat Michell Rehwinkel Vasilinda of Tallahassee. Next it will head to the Judiciary Committee.
