Here is a list of some of the bills that are being considered in the 2023 Florida 60 day legislative session with a brief description and whether the Jax-NOW legislative committee supports or opposes the bill. The descriptions are based on the bill as written as of March 14th--amendments and committee substitutes subsequent to that date might change these descriptions.
Even numbers are Senate bills. Odd numbers are House bills. The companion bill is identical unless otherwise indicated.
CONSTITUTIONAL EQUALITY, ECONOMIC JUSTICE
SUPPORT 270 / 513 - Equal Rights for men and women, ERA
SUPPORT 137 / 1598 - Department of Labor - Creates department to provide services
OPPOSE 129 / 1410 - Proposes amendment to State Constitution to increase percentage of elector votes required to approve amendment to or revision of State Constitution from 60 percent to 66.67 percent, except repeal of amendment or revision need only be approved by same percentage of elector votes as was required at time of passage of such amendment or revision.
HEALTH INCLUDING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
SUPPORT 1076 / 1033 - Reproductive Health Care Rights
SUPPORT 646 / 1199 - Medicaid Eligibility for Young Adults
SUPPORT 730 / 779 (similarities but not identical) - Providing incarcerated pregnant people right to defer sentencing until after delivery
OPPOSE 300 / 7 (similar) - Bans abortions after six weeks and requires medication abortion to be supervised by a physician
OPPOSE 222 / 305 - Prohibits private businesses and governmental entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination or post-infection recovery from any disease to gain access to, entry upon, or service from such entities
LGBTQ RIGHTS
SUPPORT 328 / 393 -Gay and Transgender legal defense
SUPPORT 330 and the similar 276 -no bill in house as of 3/14/2023 - Adds gender to the crimes evidencing prejudice statute
OPPOSE 254 (see 1421 below) -Creates criminal penalties for the provision of "sex-reassignment" prescriptions or procedures.
OPPOSE 1421 (see 254 above)- Prohibits person's biological sex from being changed on birth certificate with a few exceptions; prohibits health insurance policy & health maintenance contract from providing coverage for "gender clinical interventions as defined in s. 456.52(1)." Prohibits certain care and requires physician's license to be revoked if the the physician violated this section.
OPPOSE 952 / 1265 - Imposes unfair rules on employers who include gender dysphoria treatment in their health insurance policies
RACIAL JUSTICE
SUPPORT 804 / 551 - Required African - American History Instruction
SUPPORT 332 -no bill in house as of 3/14/2023 -Public Records/Hate Crimes Reporting Act-Collects related data
SUPPORT 590 / 51 (similarities) - Prohibited Discrimination Based on Hairstyle
EDUCATION/CHILDREN
SUPPORT 584 / 217 (similar) - Creates “Children’s Bill of Rights Act”
SUPPORT 324 / 311 - Education-Post-Secondary Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity
SUPPORT 334 / 389 - Menstrual Hygiene Products in Public Schools
OPPOSE 94 / 31 - Partisan Election for District School Boards
OPPOSE 202 / 1 (similar) - Subsidizes the private school tuition of millionaires
OPPOSE 266 / 999 (similar) -It would ban certain programs such as gender studies, terminate jobs, corrupt the hiring process, and censor academic thought.
OPPOSE 1320 / 1069 and 1223 (similarities) - Defines sex as the "classification of a human person as being either male or female based on the organization of the body of such person for a specific reproductive role." Teach that these "reproductive roles are binary, stable, and unchangeable." Prohibits an employee, contractor, or student of a public school from being required to refer to a person using personal titles or pronouns that do not correspond with that person’s sex as defined in the bill. Expands last year's HB 1557 (the don't say gay bill that has created chaos and discrimination) from grade 3 to grade 8.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN/GUN VIOLENCE
SUPPORT 130 / 97 (similar) - Requires courts to look at domestic violence history when initiating a parenting plan
SUPPORT 166 / 59 (similar) - Human Trafficking and Prostitution
SUPPORT 1022 / 123 - Sexual Battery on Mentally Incapacitated Person
SUPPORT 191 / 1656 - Financial Aid for Victims of Rape, Incest, Domestic Violence,
OPPOSE 150 / 543 (similar) Permit-less Carry of Weapons & Firearms
OPPOSE 1543 -(no companion bill in the senate as of 3/14/2023) Lowers the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 21 to 18
MISCELANEOUS
OPPOSE 991 / 1220 (similar) - Makes it easier to file a lawsuit against journalists for criticizing public officials.
OPPOSE 302 / 3 ( similar) - Government and Corporate Activism
OPPOSE 170 / 1515 (similar) Suspends local ordinance if there is a lawsuit filed
2023 Action Alerts
We'll add bills as they move through committees.
The action alerts are from Florida-NOW or one of our allies.
Makes it legal to carry a concealed gun in public without a license. We oppose. The license required proof of training, an understanding of the laws, and a background check.
Removes obsolete language that bars same-sex marriage. We support. Obsolete language because the SCOTUS ruled that it's discriminatory to prevent same sex couples from receiving the legal benefits of a marriage license issued by the government. What if the Trump appointed justices along with Alito, Thomas, and Roberts who dissented in Obergefell overturn that ruling?
Florida law has no formal mechanism that allows for threats directed at a parent to create a nexus with a child. If passed, Greyson's Law allows the judge to stop visitation if there is evidence the parent is a threat to the child. We support.
Another action alert asking legislators and the Governor to fix this voucher expansion bill.
Two bills introduced during the special session, HB3B and SB4B , will give the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor far-reaching power over people who participate in our elections, from voters, to volunteers, to candidates. Rather than working to help make the process easier and transparent, this will allow the Governor to selectively prosecute.