News - April 2019 RSS Feed

HB 527 (Byrd) was passed by the House (69-47). The Senate took up its similar companion measure, SB 168 (Gruters), amended the bill and passed it (22-18). Among other Senate amendments, protections were added for any undocumented immigrant who has been a witness to or victim of certain crimes, including domestic violence, rape, murder, and human trafficking. The Senate bill moves to the House for further consideration.

Formal negotiations on the state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2019, began earlier this week. The House and Senate reached agreement on allocations - specific amounts divided among major budget areas - and the budget conference process where details are negotiated is currently underway. A final budget must be passed by both chambers before the session ends on May 3.

On Tuesday, April 23, Governor Ron DeSantis signed his first death warrant since assuming office in January 2019. The execution of Robert Joseph Long is scheduled for May 23 at 6:00 pm EDT. Long was sentenced to death for the 1984 murder of Michelle Simms in Hillsborough County.

SB 7070 (Education Committee) would create the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, a new state-funded program for students from lower-income families to attend eligible non-public schools that meet their educational needs. The measure would also reduce the current 12,974 student waitlist for the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program.

HB 469 (Fernandez-Barquin) and SB 874 (Rouson) would create a new statewide consumer-loan program that could charge interest rates as high as 36 percent on small-dollar loans. Florida statutes consider interest rates beyond 18 percent to be usurious. However, consumer finance loans (installment loans largely accessed by individuals with limited access to capital and traditional financial services) are allowed to charge up to 30 percent under current Florida law.

SB 7070 (Education Committee) would create the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, a new state-funded program for students from lower-income families to attend eligible non-public schools that meet their educational needs. The measure also increases educational opportunities for lower-income families who would otherwise be eligible to participate in the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program by helping to reduce the current waitlist of 12,974 students. The bill goes next to the full Senate.

Florida transfers more children to the adult criminal justice system than any other state. 98% of those minors are transferred by the process of direct file.

It's profoundly important to protect all of Florida's schoolchildren - including those educated in public as well as nonpublic schools. Tragedies have devastated school communities from Newtown, CT to our own Parkland, FL.

Florida transfers more children to the adult criminal justice system than any other state. 98% of those minors are transferred by the process of direct file.

In a letter to SB 410 sponsor, Senator Lori Berman (District 31, Boynton Beach), FCCB shared its concerns with a proposal requiring the Florida Department of Health to establish a long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) pilot program in Duval, Hillsborough, and Palm Beach counties. FCCB's correspondence cited the following:

HB 189 (Zika) and SB 1342 (Stargel) would make college more affordable for Florida families by restoring access to dual enrollment courses at state colleges and universities for high school students. Certain courses would be made available without requiring payment by the family or the student's school. FCCB supports these bills that ensure equity for students at private schools and their families. Public and home-school students currently do not have to pay for dual enrollment courses at nearby colleges.

The Florida Senate and House approved their proposed budgets for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019. The Senate's spending plan totals $90.3 billion and is about $400 million larger than the House's $89.9 billion proposal.