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On Monday, April 8, three students from Saint Leo University spent the day in Tallahassee touring the state Capitol and the FCCB office. The students were participants in Campus Ministry Day at the Capitol, a program launched two years ago by the FCCB.

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:

While in town for Catholic Days at the Capitol, the bishops of Florida were able to visit with Senate President Bill Galvano. The bishops engaged with the president on a range of issues, including abortion, the death penalty, parental choice in education, criminal justice, immigration reform, and access to health care.

The Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee advanced (5-3) a proposal that would mandate local jurisdictions comply with all requests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold individuals 48 hours beyond the time they would otherwise be released. Complying with detainer requests is and should remain at the discretion of the county.

The House Education Committee advanced a proposal that includes a new school-choice program. The bill will provide increased scholarship opportunities to lower-income families who would otherwise be eligible to participate in the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) program by alleviating a nearly 13,000-student waiting list for the longstanding program. The House bill goes further than a similar Senate proposal by also broadening eligibility for participation.

On Tuesday morning, March 5, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano and Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva called their respective chambers to order for the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. At the invitation of the Senate president, Father John Cayer of the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Tallahassee offered the prayer to open the Senate session.

The FCCB has released its Public Policy Priorities for the 2019 Legislative Session, set to begin March 5. Key issues of concern are identified under the advocacy areas of life, health, education, and family and social concerns.

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.

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.