A grassroots team has come together to stop the extreme abortion amendment pushing for placement on the 2024 ballot. The initiative campaign for the deceptively-titled "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion" has collected enough petitions to qualify for the ballot, and Florida's Supreme Court heard oral arguments on February 7 to determine whether the language of the proposed amendment is clear and covers only a single subject.
SB 476 (Grall) was approved by the Senate Fiscal Policy committee on Thursday by a 10-6 vote. FCCB indicated its support for the bill, which would allow parents to file a lawsuit under Florida's wrongful death statute with the purpose of recovering damages for the wrongful death of their unborn child
On Thursday, the House Health & Human Services Committee unanimously passed HB 1549 (Grant), a comprehensive health care reform known as “Live Healthy.” This bill seeks to expand access to health care by recruiting and retaining a highly skilled workforce, increasing the use of preventive services and primary care, and incentivizing more providers to serve the poor.
This week Tammy Fecci, associate for life and dignity, indicated in committee that the FCCB is seeking an amendment on SB 1436 (Burton) and HB 1347 (Brackett) that would make new rate caps on consumer finance loans "all-inclusive" of interest, fees, other charges, and ancillary products made in connection with the consumer's transaction.
On Tuesday, FCCB indicated support for SB 1442 (Grall) before the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services. SB 1442 would establish the Florida State Maternity Housing Grant Program within the Department of Children and Families.
On Thursday, HB 415 (Jacques) received final passage in the Florida House by an 83-33 vote. "This bill will go a long way towards providing key resources to pregnant women, expecting parents, fathers...to make sure that pregnancy is never a burden here in the State of Florida," said House sponsor Representative Berny Jacques.
On Thursday, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved (12-5) an amendment that combines HB 1 and HB 3. HB 1 prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from having social media accounts on platforms that use addictive technologies.
Pictures from the 2024 Catholic Days at the Capitol, Red Mass and Diocesan group photos are available on the FCCB website. Thank you to Derek Diamond, Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, for photographing this year's events.
Over 320 Catholic Days at the Capitol (CDAC) pilgrims from all seven dioceses in Florida could be found in Tallahassee on February 6-7, advocating at the Capitol and attending the 49th Annual Red Mass of the Holy Spirit.
At the CDAC breakfast on Wednesday, the Florida Bishops presented Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka with the Defensor Vitae Award and the Florida Council of Catholic Women with the Thomas A. Horkan Jr., Distinguished Catholic Leader Award.
After spending the day at the Capitol on Wednesday, a congregation wearing red filled the pews of the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More that evening. Florida's bishops have celebrated the Red Mass tradition in Tallahassee for nearly five decades, inviting the Holy Spirit to guide our state leaders in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. Public officials who attended included Governor Ron DeSantis, legislators, justices, and judges.
Healthy pregnancies along with positive maternal and infant health outcomes are foundational to strong families and communities and an important marker of the overall well-being of a society. Florida’s expectant mothers are not exempt from the nation's affordable housing crisis.
Florida’s Wrongful Death Act has held that someone whose action causes the death of an unborn child is not civilly liable to the surviving parents for damages. HB 651 sponsored by Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers) would expand Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow parents of an unborn child to recover civil damages for such unborn child’s death in the same way that other survivors may generally receive compensation from individuals or entities party to a suit.
HB 1347 (Brackett) and SB 1436 (Burton) would raise interest rates on consumer finance loans in a tiered system, adding to the burden of borrowers. Proponents argue these loans remain a better alternative than those available online that originate in other states.
HB 1589 (Plakon) would establish criminal penalties for unlicensed driving. FCCB's executive director, Michael Sheedy, sent a letter to the sponsor, outlining a few points of concern with the bill. "It must be noted that a significant number of Florida's residents have no path to a driver's license," wrote Michael.
On Tuesday, the Senate Health Policy Committee debated SB 436 by Senator Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce), which requires the state to hire a third party vendor to create and maintain a website where pregnant women and families can find vital, up-to-date information and support throughout their pregnancy and parenting journeys. The site will offer access to maternal health services, including information on prenatal care, child development, and parenting techniques.
HB 3 by Representative Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange) aims to protect children under 18 from online access to harmful content, such as pornography. The bill requires websites and applications that publish a substantial amount of materials harmful to minors to contract with a third party to verify that the age of a person attempting to access the material is 18 years or older.
Senator Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) is the sponsor of several bills pertaining to immigration this session. Among them, SB 1174 further restricts community identification cards to preclude local governments from not only issuing them or funding them, but also from accepting them. SB 1324 would establish criminal penalties for unlicensed driving. SM 598 is a memorial bill which urges the federal government to secure the southern border of the United States and reform our broken immigration system.
HB 1639 by Representative Douglas Bankson (R-Apopka) requires that any health insurance policy that provides coverage for sex-reassignment related services also provides coverage for those seeking de-transition treatment. Additionally, the bill requires that if insurance companies offer policies including coverage for sex-reassignment procedures or prescriptions, they also offer the option of a policy that does not cover those services.
Representative Susan Plasencia (R-Winter Park) has sought feedback on HB 219 which authorizes patient-directed doctor’s orders for end-of-life care decisions. This legislation authorizes doctors to sign, in consultation with the patient, a medical order that will direct end-of-life care if the individual becomes incapacitated. Importantly, HB 219 keeps Florida’s prohibition against patient-assisted suicide intact.
