Personal firearms, abortion, transgender healthcare, faculty curricula, capital punishment, even drag exhibits — Republicans have pushed by means of a raft of recent laws calculated to set right-wing hearts aflutter and liberal hair on hearth.
Addressing the Heritage Foundation on April 21, DeSantis outlined precisely how he leveraged the whisker-slim margin that received him the keys to the governor’s workplace within the 2018 midterm election.
“I could have earned 50 % of the vote [in 2018], however that conferred upon me 100% of the chief energy. And I resolved I used to be going to make use of that to advance a conservative agenda that may take Florida in an excellent route… I can let you know all. Down within the state of Florida, we’ve got solely begun to battle.”
Of course, it is tough to see the huge expanse of the legislative meat counter for the person sausages (because it have been) — so we created a handy-dandy charticle!
There’s no assure that every one the payments outlined beneath will make it to the governor’s desk by the point the gavel drops on the present session on Friday, May 5. Regardless, DeSantis will have the ability to take to the marketing campaign path and tout a homegrown legislative blueprint that burnishes his management bona fides and delivers on his incessantly repeated pledge to beat again “the woke mob.”
Will this Florida blueprint propel the 44-year-old Jacksonville native to the Republican nomination in Milwaukee a 12 months from now?
The outcomes of two latest nationwide polls aren’t precisely auspicious on that depend. In a latest NBC News ballot of seemingly Republican main voters, DeSantis trailed Donald Trump by 15 proportion factors; an analogous Wall Street Journal ballot had the governor down by 13 to the defeated and indicted ex-POTUS. And the governor has taken some knocks for his persona (or lack thereof).
Of course, irrespective of how the upcoming presidential race performs out, Floridians should take care of the fallout from DeSantis’ strikingly big-government agenda for years to come back.
— Tom Finkel
Editor’s observe: Legislation outlined beneath is introduced roughly in chronological order, and from performed deal to did not occur. Icons point out which fundamental human rights and/or American cultural touchstones these payments indulge or desecrate. (Click this hyperlink to view this non-updated story in its authentic pdf charticle glory.)
School Vouchers for All
BILL: House Bill 1
SUBJECT: Education
TL;DR: Down with public faculties. Up with “common faculty selection.”
SUMMARY: Revises provisions referring to the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, part-time enrollment in public faculties, transportation of scholars, commencement necessities, Commissioner of Education duties, & educator certifications.
INTRODUCED BY: Kaylee Tuck (Republican, District 83, Lake Placid), Susan Plasencia (Republican, District 37, Winter Park)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 3/17: Passed House (83-27); 3/23: Passed Senate (26-12); 3/27: Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis
Constitutional Carry
BILL: House Bill 543
SUBJECT: Public Safety
TL;DR: Concealed-carry allow? We haven’t got to indicate you no stinking concealed-carry allow!
SUMMARY: Authorizes particular person to hold hid weapon or firearm if she or he is licensed to take action or meets specified necessities; requires one that is carrying hid weapon or firearm with out license to hold identification & show upon demand by regulation enforcement; prohibits one that is carrying hid weapon or firearm with out license from carrying such weapon or firearm in specified areas; authorizes nonresident to hold hid weapon or firearm on this state if she or he meets identical necessities as resident; requires Office of Safe Schools to develop behavioral risk administration operational course of.
INTRODUCED BY: Robert Charles “Chuck” Brannan III (Republican, District 10, Macclenny)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 3/24: Passed House (76-32); 3/30: Passed Senate (27-13); 4/3: Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis
Six-Week Abortion Ban
BILL: Senate Bill 300
SUBJECT: Pregnancy and Parenting Support
TL;DR: Bans abortions after six weeks of being pregnant with drastic exceptions that enable as much as 15 weeks.
SUMMARY: Citing this act because the “Heartbeat Protection Act”; requiring the Department of Health to contract for the administration and supply of parenting assist companies, along with being pregnant assist companies; prohibiting physicians from knowingly performing or inducing a termination of being pregnant after the gestational age of the fetus is decided to be greater than six weeks, quite than 15 weeks, with exceptions; offering an exception if the lady acquiring the abortion is doing so as a result of she is a sufferer of rape, incest, or human trafficking, topic to sure circumstances; requiring that medicines meant to be used in a medical abortion be disbursed in particular person by a doctor, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Erin Grall (Republican, District 29, Fort Pierce)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/3: Passed Senate (26-13); 4/13: Passed House (70-40); 4/13: Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis
Unanimous Jury Requirement Rescinded for Death Penalty
BILL: Senate Bill 450
SUBJECT: Death Penalty
TL;DR: Juries could advocate a demise sentence if no less than eight of the twelve members agree it ought to be imposed.
SUMMARY: Requiring a dedication of a specified variety of jurors, quite than jury unanimity, for a sentencing suggestion of demise to the court docket; requiring a dedication of a specified variety of jurors, quite than jury unanimity, for a sentencing suggestion of life imprisonment with out the potential for parole to the court docket; requiring the court docket to impose the really helpful sentence of life imprisonment with out the potential for parole if fewer than eight jurors advocate a sentence of demise; requiring the court docket to incorporate in its written order the explanations for not accepting the jury’s really helpful sentence, if relevant, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Blaise Ingoglia (Republican, District 11, Spring Hill)
RELATED BILLS: House Bill 555, House Bill 609, Senate Bill 520
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 3/30: Passed Senate (29-10); 4/13: Passed House (80-30); 4/20: Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida Drag Show Ban
BILL: Senate Bill 1438
SUBJECT: Protection of Children
TL;DR: Bans minors from “grownup dwell performances” with “lewd content material.” Doesn’t specify drag exhibits or satisfaction festivals, however you get the concept.
SUMMARY: Prohibiting a governmental entity from issuing a allow or in any other case authorizing an individual to conduct a efficiency in violation of specified provisions; offering legal penalties; authorizing the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to tremendous, droop, or revoke the license of any public lodging institution or public meals service institution if the institution admits a baby to an grownup dwell efficiency; specifying that the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is given full energy and authority to revoke or droop the license of any particular person issued below the Beverage Law when it’s decided or discovered by the division upon ample trigger showing that she or he is sustaining a licensed premise that admits a baby to an grownup dwell efficiency; prohibiting an individual from knowingly admitting a baby to an grownup dwell efficiency, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Clay Yarborough (Republican, District 4, Jacksonville)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/11: Passed Senate (28-12); 4/19: Passed House (82-32)
Transgender “Bathroom Bill”
BILL: House Bill 1521
SUBJECT: Facility Requirements Based on Sex
TL;DR: Dictates which toilet you utilize as a result of you possibly can’t be trusted to do this your self, groomer.
SUMMARY: Provides necessities for unique use of restrooms & altering amenities by gender; prohibits willfully getting into restroom or altering facility designated for reverse intercourse & refusing to depart when requested to take action; supplies necessities for unique use of home violence facilities by gender; supplies necessities for correctional establishments; requires entities that obtain state licenses to submit compliance documentation; authorizes AG to deliver enforcement actions; supplies exception for people born with sure genetically or biochemically verifiable dysfunction of intercourse growth.
INTRODUCED BY: Rachel Lora Saunders Plakon (Republican, District 36, Longwood)
RELATED BILLS: Senate Bill 1674
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/19: Passed House (80-37); 5/3: Passed Senate (26-12)
The Florida Sex-Education Bill
BILL: House Bill 1069
SUBJECT: Education
TL;DR: Sex and gender are decided at start, as are private pronouns. The point out of sexual orientation and gender identification is verboten till ninth grade. Abstinence and monogamy über alles! Abets parental requests for guide banning.
SUMMARY: Defines “intercourse” for Florida Early Learning-20 Education Code; supplies necessities referring to titles & pronouns; revises provisions referring to instruction & supplies for specified instruction referring to reproductive well being; supplies extra necessities for instruction concerning human sexuality; supplies district faculty boards are liable for supplies utilized in classroom libraries; revises provisions referring to objections of sure supplies & course of associated to such objections; revises faculty principal, faculty district & district faculty board duties & tasks referring to sure supplies & processes.
INTRODUCED BY: Stan McClain (Republican, District 27, Ocala), Adam Anderson (Republican, District 57, Tarpon Springs)
RELATED BILLS: Senate Bill 1320
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 3/31: Passed House (77-35); 5/3: Passed Senate (27-12)
“Physician Freedom” and “Medical Conscience”
BILL: Senate Bill 1580
SUBJECT: Protections of Medical Conscience
TL;DR: Allows healthcare suppliers and insurers to disclaim medical companies on the premise of ethical, non secular, and moral beliefs.
SUMMARY: Providing that well being care suppliers and well being care payors have the correct to decide out of participation in or fee for sure well being care companies on the premise of conscience-based objections; offering necessities for a well being care supplier’s discover and documentation of such objection; offering whistle-blower protections for well being care suppliers and well being care payors that take sure actions or disclose sure info referring to the reporting of sure violations; prohibiting boards, or the Department of Health if there isn’t a board, from taking disciplinary motion towards or denying a license to a person primarily based solely on specified conduct, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Jay Trumbull (Republican, District 2, Panama City)
RELATED BILLS: House Bill 1403
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/28: Passed Senate (28-11); 5/2: Passed House (84-34)
Gas Stoves!
BILL: House Bill 1281
SUBJECT: Preemption Over Utility Service Restrictions
TL;DR: You can pry my fuel range out of my chilly useless arms!
SUMMARY: Prohibiting sure native governmental entities, topic to specified exceptions, from enacting or implementing a decision, an ordinance, a rule, a code, or a coverage or from taking any motion that restricts or prohibits or has the impact of limiting or prohibiting the usage of home equipment; revising an exception to preemption, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: James Buchanan (Republican, District 74, Osprey)
RELATED BILLS: Senate Bill 1256
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/26: Passed House (98-16); 4/28: Passed Senate (33-4)
Anti-Immigration Bill
BILL: Senate Bill 1718
SUBJECT: Immigration
TL;DR: Makes it against the law to “knowingly and willfully” transport or harbor undocumented immigrants “into or inside” the state.
SUMMARY: Prohibiting counties and municipalities, respectively, from offering funds to any particular person, entity, or group to difficulty identification paperwork to a person who doesn’t present proof of lawful presence within the United States; specifying that sure driver licenses and permits issued by different states completely to unauthorized immigrants will not be legitimate on this state; requiring sure hospitals to gather affected person immigration standing information info on admission or registration types; growing the utmost tremendous that could be imposed for a primary violation of specified provisions referring to using, hiring, recruiting, or referring aliens for personal or public employment; making a sure rebuttable presumption that the general public employer, contractor, or subcontractor has not violated specified provisions with respect to the hiring of an unauthorized alien.
INTRODUCED BY: Blaise Ingoglia (Republican, District 11, Spring Hill)
RELATED BILLS: House Bill 1617
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/28: Passed Senate (27-10); 5/2: Passed House (83-36)
Stop Woke v.2.0
BILL: Senate Bill 266
SUBJECT: Higher Education
TL;DR: No state-funded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion packages at public universities and schools. Bill restricts educating of vital race idea whereas increasing powers of Board of Governors and college presidents.
SUMMARY: Revising the duties of the Board of Governors referring to the mission of every state college; requiring the Board of Governors Accountability Plan to yearly report sure analysis expenditures of a specified quantity; prohibiting specified instructional establishments from expending funds for sure functions; revising how normal schooling core programs are established; specifying a one-time restrict on the requirement to alter accrediting businesses, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Erin Grall (Republican, District 29, Fort Pierce)
RELATED BILLS: House Bill 999
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 4/28: Passed Senate (27-12); 5/3: Passed House (81-34)
“Protect” Minors “Subjected to” Gender-Affirming Care
BILL: Senate Bill 254
SUBJECT: Treatments for Sex Reassignment
TL;DR: Bans minors from receiving gender-affirming care (e.g., puberty blockers, hormones). Bans state-funded protection for transgender care.
SUMMARY (AMENDED): Granting courts of this state momentary emergency jurisdiction over a baby current on this state if the kid has been subjected to or is threatened with being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures; offering that, for functions of warrants to take bodily custody of a kid in sure little one custody enforcement proceedings, critical bodily hurt to the kid consists of, however just isn’t restricted to, being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures; prohibiting sure public entities from expending state funds for the availability of sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures; prohibiting sex-reassignment prescriptions and procedures for sufferers youthful than 18 years of age; requiring the division to right away droop the license of a well being care practitioner who’s arrested for committing or trying, soliciting, or conspiring to commit specified violations associated to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures for a affected person youthful than 18 years of age, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Clay Yarborough (Republican, District 4, Jacksonville)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 5/4: Amended invoice handed House (83-28), handed Senate (26-13)
The “Baby Box” Bill
BILL: House Bill 899
SUBJECT: Surrendered Newborn Infants
TL;DR: Hospitals and emergency medical amenities could set up “high-tech new child toddler security units” to facilitate abandonment of undesirable newborns (cf. Senate Bill 300).
SUMMARY: Authorizes hospitals, emergency medical companies stations, & hearth stations to make use of new child toddler security units to just accept surrendered new child infants if system meets specified standards; requires hospitals, emergency medical companies stations, or hearth stations to bodily test & check units at specified intervals; authorizes mother or father to depart new child toddler with medical workers or licensed healthcare skilled at hospital after supply of new child toddler; authorizes mother or father to give up new child toddler by calling 911 & requesting EMS supplier to satisfy at specified location to retrieve new child toddler.
INTRODUCED BY: Jennifer Canady (Republican, District 50, Lakeland)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: 3/31: Passed House (111-0); Died in Senate Rules Committee
DeSantis Defamation Bill
BILL: Senate Bill 1220
SUBJECT: Defamation and Related Actions
TL;DR: Makes it simpler for non-elected authorities officers, together with law enforcement officials, to sue for defamation.
SUMMARY: Specifying that the skilled journalist’s privilege doesn’t apply to defamation or associated actions; specifying that the publication of an altered or unaltered {photograph}, video, or audio recording could type the premise of a defamation motion; specifying {that a} defamatory allegation is made with precise malice for functions of a defamation motion below sure circumstances; offering that the negligence commonplace applies in a defamation motion through which the defendant doesn’t establish the supply for a defamatory assertion.
INTRODUCED BY: Jason Brodeur (Republican, District 10, Lake Mary)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: Died in Senate Rules Committee
Lower Gun-Buying Age to 18
BILL: House Bill 1543
SUBJECT: Minimum Age for Firearm Purchase or Transfer
TL;DR: Sweet little one of mine, you are not sufficiently old to drink legally, however to rejoice your 18th birthday, this is your very personal Ruger!
SUMMARY: Reducing [from 21 to 18] the minimal age at which an individual could buy a firearm & age of purchasers to which specified licensees are prohibited from promoting or transferring firearms.
INTRODUCED BY: Bobby Payne (Republican, District 20, Palatka)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: Died in Senate Rules Committee
The “Reverse Woke Act”
BILL: Senate Bill 952
SUBJECT: Employer Coverage of Gender Dysphoria Treatment
TL;DR: Employers that cowl gender reassignment remedy should additionally foot the invoice for reversal thereof.
SUMMARY: Citing this act because the “Reverse Woke Act”; requiring employers that present protection of gender dysphoria remedy to additionally cowl the total prices related to remedy that reverses such gender dysphoria remedy, whatever the charge of protection offered for the preliminary remedy; prohibiting employers from making protection of the next remedy contingent on whether or not the worker receives such remedy on this state; making a proper of motion for aggrieved individuals to get well precise whole prices and damages from an employer or former employer, as relevant, below sure circumstances, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Blaise Ingoglia (Senate Republican, District 11, Spring Hill), Taylor Michael Yarkowsky (House Republican, District 25, Montverde)
RELATED BILLS: House Bill 1265 (Identical)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: Died in Senate Health Policy Committee
The Confederate Monument Bill
BILL: Senate Bill 1096
SUBJECT: Monuments and Memorials
TL;DR: Allows residents and entities to sue over unauthorized elimination or alteration of Confederate monuments.
SUMMARY: Citing this act because the “Historical Monuments and Memorials Protection Act”; defining the phrases “memorial” and “monument”; offering that an individual or an entity that damages, defaces, destroys, or removes a monument or memorial is accountable for treble the prices to return, restore, or change the monument or memorial; prohibiting the position of specified objects on or close to a memorial that existed earlier than a specified date, and so forth.
INTRODUCED BY: Jonathan Martin (Republican, District 33, Fort Myers)
VOTES, BILL STATUS AS OF MAY 5, 2023: Died in Senate Rules Committee