Bills Passed by the Legislature

Bills passed by the legislature will be presented to Governor DeSantis for final action. From the date the governor receives a bill, he has 15 days to either sign, veto, or let the bill become law without his signature. Links are provided to final House and Senate votes.

PARENTAL CONSENT PRIOR TO ABORTION
2020 Catholic Days at the Capitol Issue
HB 265 (Grall) / SB 404 (Stargel): Support
Prohibits a physician from performing an abortion on a minor unless presented with consent from the minor's parent or guardian; includes a judicial waiver process when parental abuse is a concern;  Catholic Days Backgrounder;  FCCB press release praising passage
Senate: Passed (23-17); House: Passed (75-43)


SB 664, mandating verification of employment eligibility, received final passage in the Senate on March 12.

IMMIGRATION
HB 1265 (Byrd) / SB 664 (Lee): Oppose
Requires public employers use the E-Verify system and private employers use either E-Verify or I-9 documents to determine employment eligibility. If requested, all employers must turn over any employment eligibility documents to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Attorney General, state prosecutors, or state attorney whenever requested, without warrant or probable cause. The position of the FCCB is that the expansion of employment eligibility verification only makes sense as part of federal comprehensive immigration efforts that also address the root causes of migration and increase the number of employment based visas, among other necessary reforms;  FCCB letter to bill sponsor.
House: Passed (73-45); Senate: Passed (23-17)


Clifford Williams (center) and his family members were at the Capitol to witness the final passage of a bill to compensate him for his wrongful incarceration.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE
HB 6507 (Daniels) / SB 28 (Gibson): Support
Provides an appropriation to compensate Clifford Williams for being wrongfully incarcerated for 43 years and spent four years on death row. The state found that there was no credible evidence of Mr. Williams' guilt, and likewise, found verifiable and substantial evidence of his innocence.
Senate: Passed (40-0); House: Passed (116-0)


Senator Jason Pizzo, sponsor of SB 852, pauses for a photo outside the Senate chamber with Ingrid Delgado, FCCB associate director for social concerns/respect life

HB 1259 (Jones) / SB 852 (Pizzo): Support
Prohibits the involuntary placement of incarcerated pregnant women in restrictive housing.
House: Passed (112-0); Senate: Passed (37-0)

ACCESS TO CARE
HB 6031 (Pigman) / SB 348 (Bean): Support
Removes lifetime maximum cap on covered expenses for children enrolled in the Florida KidCare program. KidCare is funded through a state/federal partnership and provides affordable health insurance for about 345,000 of Florida's children from families with lower-incomes.
Senate: Passed (38-0); House: Passed (115-0)

END-OF-LIFE CARE
HB 709 (Burton) / SB 994 (Passidomo): Support
Strengthens protections for vulnerable elderly persons with court appointed guardians by improving guardianship laws with respect to conflict of interest, compensation and appointment of guardians; requires that guardians may not consent to or authorize do-not-resuscitate orders for their wards without court approval.
Senate: Passed (39-0); House: Passed (117-0)


Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, chair of the House Education Committee, closes on HB 7067 on the floor of the House chamber on March 9.

PARENTAL EMPOWERMENT
HB 7067 (Education) / SB 1220 (Diaz): Support
Accelerates growth of the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program by boosting the formula that increases the number of students allowed to participate in the program each year. It also allows students to take up to two Florida Virtual School courses per school year without reducing their basic FES scholarship amounts.
House: Passed (81-39); Senate: Passed (21-14)

BIOETHICS
HB 1287 (Jenne) / SB 698 (Book): Monitor
Seeks to limit the harm done in the current practice of in vitro fertilization (IVF) by providing a framework to discipline physicians who commit egregious acts. While the Church prohibits the practice of IVF, the FCCB recognized the value in the intent of the proposal. Amendments to the final bill helped to better reflect the dignity of human embryos created in this process.
House: Passed (117-0); Senate: Passed (39-0)