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On Tuesday, January 11, Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, and House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, opened the 2022 Florida legislative session. The Florida Legislature meets in session every year for 60 consecutive days, convening in January in even-numbered years, and March in odd-numbered years.

The Senate and House convened in a joint session on Tuesday, January 11, to receive the Governor's 2022 State of the State Address. DeSantis began by touting his commitment to safe-guarding the rights of Florida's residents and spotlighting a positive outlook for the economy leading into the new year.

On the first day of the legislative session, two bills emerged to protect women and limit the harm of abortion in Florida. SB 146 (Stargel) and HB 5 (Grall) would prohibit abortion after 15 weeks gestation, shrinking the window of time in which an abortion is able to be legally obtained.

Encouraged by the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Mississippi abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, yet in somber recognition of the millions of lives lost to abortion, Florida's Catholic bishops have released a joint statement marking the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Additionally, in Catholic dioceses in the U.S., January 22 is observed annually as a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.

SB 698 (Book) 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 sees value in the intent of the proposal. FCCB is pursuing amendments to better reflect the dignity of human embryos created in this process.

House and Senate committees approved bills that would accelerate growth of the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program, which provides scholarships for nearly 18,000 students from low-income families to attend non-public schools this year. In addition to boosting the formula that increases the number of students allowed to participate in the program each year, the bills remove the requirement to attend public school the year prior to participation for students in grades 1 and 2. They also allow students to take up to two Florida Virtual School courses per school year without reducing their basic FES scholarship amounts

On February 27, the House Commerce Committee passed (15-8) HB 1265 (Byrd). The bill was amended to require that all public and private employers use either the Department of Homeland Security E-Verify system or the documents required by Form I-9 to determine work eligibility for all new employees. Businesses that choose not to use E-Verify will be precluded from certain state incentives.