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Religious Freedom Week 2019: Strength in Hope takes place from June 22 to 29. The week began with the feast day of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, includes the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, and ends with the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

On June 17, President Donald Trump announced impending immigration enforcement actions by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Subsequent press reports on Friday, June 21 indicated that ICE has plans for an enforcement operation in major cities, including Miami, to remove thousands of migrant families with deportation orders.

You are invited to attend the 2019 Statewide Florida Respect Life Conference "In the Heart of Our Mother" in historical St. Augustine. National and state speakers will inspire and educate you with their expertise, sharing powerful fact-filled lectures that will lead us to a nurturing love which we can bring to others.

The bishops of the United States just concluded their annual summer meeting.  One of the key topics was Pope Francis’ Apostolic Motu Proprio, modifying norms in response to sexual abuse.  In her June 11 opinion piece, Senator Lauren Book cited this directive, noting that the Holy Father’s recent directive does not include a requirement to report allegations of abuse to law enforcement.

On Wednesday, June 5, a fire was set at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Tallahassee. The parish is the location of the Red Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated annually by the bishops of Florida during Catholic Days at the Capitol.

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.

The St. John Paul II Catholic High School boys' basketball team was recognized in the Florida Senate and House galleries by Senator Bill Montford and Rep. Loranne Ausley. The Panthers captured their first ever Class 3-A State Championship on March 5. St. John Paul II is located in Tallahassee and was founded in 2001. Coach Titus Nixon is an alumnus of the school who played on the basketball team during his time as a student. Go Panthers!

HB 527 (Byrd) and SB 168 (Gruters) passed their final committees of reference, House Judiciary (12-6) and Senate Rules (9-8). We recognize that many state lawmakers are frustrated, as are we, that Congress has not effectively addressed needed immigration reforms. However, we oppose the unnecessary, piecemeal framework proposed in these measures.

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.

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.

Every April, organizations and communities across the country, including Catholic parishes and schools, participate in National Child Abuse Prevention Month. While dioceses work year-round to prevent abuse, during this month, a special emphasis is placed on the importance of learning how to protect the vulnerable from this evil.

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:

At the invitation of Senate President Bill Galvano and Speaker of the House Jose Oliva, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, offered the prayer to open both the Senate and House sessions on Wednesday, April 3. Archbishop Auza serves as the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations as well as the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States. 

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.

James Herzog, FCCB associate director for education, attended a meeting of the Federal Assistance Advisory Commission (FAAC) of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. The Commission meets twice per year to discuss federal educational programs as well as parental empowerment in education. FAAC members met with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on the importance of restoring Title II, Part A funds to meet the professional development needs of public and nonpublic school teachers, among other key issues. Meetings were also held with various members of Congress to discuss support for the "Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act" along with Title II-A services.