A week after the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, several thousand people rallied outside the Capitol in Tallahassee on Wednesday, February 21. Survivors, families, local students and gun-control advocates called on state lawmakers to enact stricter gun laws. On the same day, about 100 students from Parkland met in person with legislators and state leaders, including Governor Rick Scott, House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron, to press for immediate action on gun reform and school-safety measures to prevent another tragedy.

Late last week, the U.S. Senate failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to move forward with debate on legislation to provide relief to Dreamers. These 1.8 million young people who were brought into the United States by their parents as children may face deportation as soon as March 6, unless Congress reaches a bi-partisan solution to protect them.

Eric Scott Branch was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, February 22 after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Mr. Branch was convicted of the 1993 murder of Susan Morris, a University of West Florida student. Prior to the execution, Catholic faithful and members of the community gathered to pray for the victim and aggressor, and their families, for an end to the use of the death penalty, and for Governor Scott as he confronted the decision to proceed with the execution. We thank all of our FLCAN members who sent a message to the governor urging him to commute Mr. Branch's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On Tuesday, February 20, HB 157 (Spano) was adopted by the full House on a voice vote. This FCCB-supported resolution recognizes the public health risk created by pornography and acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research and policy change to protect the residents of Florida. Lawmakers in eight other states have passed similar resolutions.

After passing the full House earlier this month, HB 7055 was taken up and amended by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, February 21. This major education bill addresses a broad range of education issues, including strengthening state oversight of scholarship programs, such as the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. James Herzog, FCCB associate director for education, offered committee members a practical perspective on proposed accountability measures.

HB 1197 (Ahern) was passed unanimously by its final committee of reference, Judiciary, on Monday, February 21. The proposal provides for expungement of a juvenile's first-time misdemeanor after the offender completes a diversion program. The bill also allows for discretionary use of civil citations for adults. FCCB staff expressed support for the measure at the committee hearing. Companion bill, SB 1392 (Brandes), is in its final committee of reference, Appropriations.

Time is of the essence when your Florida legislator needs to hear from you on an issue. Often, little notice is given before a bill is considered by a committee or heard on the floor of the House or Senate chamber. You can be notified immediately when the FCCB sends an action alert to the Florida Catholic Advocacy Network by signing up for text messages. It's easy to sign up, just text FLCAN to 50457.

Eric Branch is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, February 22, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. for the 1993 murder of Susan Morris. In a February 15 letter on behalf of the bishops of Florida, Michael Sheedy, executive director, appealed to Governor Scott to commute Branch's death sentence to a life sentence without parole. "It is our concern that the death penalty contributes to a growing disrespect for the sacredness of all human life," said Sheedy. "It feeds on an underlying sense of vengeance in our culture and adds to a callousness or coarseness towards one another."

Archbishop Thomas Wenski issued a statement following the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which is located in the Archdiocese of Miami. Pope Francis also offered his condolences to all those affected by this devastating attack.

On Monday, February 12, five students representing four Florida universities spent the day at FCCB's Tallahassee office and the state capitol. The students were gathered as participants in the Campus Ministry Liaison Program, which was launched last year.

The State of Florida has appealed a January 9 ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis that found a 2015 law requiring a 24-hour reflection period prior to an abortion unconstitutional. Judge Lewis' decision made permanent a temporary injunction granted by the Florida Supreme Court last year after a Gainesville abortion clinic challenged the law as a violation of privacy rights under the state's Constitution. The FCCB supported a reflection period prior to abortion through the legislative process.

Both HB 857 (Grant, J.) and companion measure, SB 920 (Bradley), were found favorable by committees of reference this week. These bills further the practice of usury among predatory lenders in Florida, allowing loans to be made at triple-digit rates when calculated on an annual basis. All other comparable loans are capped at 30%. During the committee hearings, FCCB Associate for Social Concerns/Respect Life Ingrid Delgado testified in opposition to both the House and Senate proposals.

FCCB-monitored proposals that would create a new approach to end-of-life planning will not move this year. SB 474 (Brandes) emphasizes advanced care planning conversations between patients, health care professionals and loved ones by facilitating shared decision-making between a patient and his or her health care professional that generate actionable medical orders based on the patient's current condition and preferences. While the FCCB opposed POLST bills in the past, this year's bill remedied key concerns such as application to a poorly-defined patient population and insufficient patient protections.

Eric Scott Branch is scheduled to be executed by the State of Florida on Thursday, February 22 at 6:00 p.m. for the 1993 murder of Susan Morris. Prior to the execution, Catholic faithful and members of the community will gather to pray for the victim and aggressor, and their families, for an end to the use of the death penalty, and for Governor Scott as he confronts the decision to proceed with the execution.

Time is of the essence when your Florida legislator needs to hear from you on an issue. Often, little notice is given before a bill is considered by a committee or heard on the floor of the House or Senate chamber. You can be notified immediately when the FCCB sends an action alert to the Florida Catholic Advocacy Network by signing up for text messages. It's easy to sign up, just text FLCAN to 50457.

Wednesday, February 14 is Ash Wednesday. Here is a list of local Masses.

On Thursday, February 8, the Senate voted (21-12) to codify the Florida Pregnancy Support Services Program (FPSSP) in Florida statutes. The full House passed the measure earlier this session (73-29) and the bill will go next to Governor Scott for his signature.

An FCCB-supported proposal that provides that the partial retroactivity of a new unanimous jury requirement will result in a miscarriage of justice was approved by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee (3-2) on Tuesday, February 6.

National Marriage Week USA and World Marriage Day are opportunities "to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family," wrote Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a letter to his brother bishops. February 7-14 marks the annual celebration of National Marriage Week USA. World Marriage Day falls in the middle of the week on February 11.

Time is of the essence when your Florida legislator needs to hear from you on an issue. Often, little notice is given before a bill is considered by a committee or heard on the floor of the House or Senate chamber. You can be notified immediately when the FCCB sends an action alert to the Florida Catholic Advocacy Network by signing up for text messages. It's easy to sign up, just text FLCAN to 50457.