HB 133 (Harding/Beltran), supported by the FCCB, authorizes the installation of newborn safety devices or "baby boxes" to accept surrendered newborn infants at the same locations where newborns may now be surrendered under current law. The boxes would be installed through an exterior wall, with an access door on the inside of the building. An alarm notifies emergency personnel that someone has placed an infant inside the box. The bill also increases the allowable age of surrender from seven days old to 30 days. HB 133 was passed by the full House (108-11) on March 18. The Senate companion, SB 122 (Baxley), is waiting to be heard in its final committee of reference, Appropriations.

Our faith tradition teaches that exploiting people who live in poverty is theft and that usurious practices are the equivalent of indirect homicide (Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 2409 & 2269). Currently, lenders that provide "installment loans" in Florida can require borrowers to pay back the loan in one lump sum, rather than allowing payment installments. Borrowers are often unable to pay back the borrowed amount in one lump sum and are forced to re-borrow the same principal amount for additional interest and fees, leading to a cycle of debt. Many borrowers then lose the family vehicle on which they depend when used as collateral. In an effort to protect vulnerable consumers, the FCCB supported SB 1478, filed by Senator Audrey Gibson (D-Jacksonville), in the Banking and Insurance Committee where it passed unanimously on March 16. This bill requires a six-month loan term with no prepayment penalty, striking a balance between providing enough time for the borrower to reasonably pay off a loan but not such a long term that the borrower pays an excessive amount of interest.

During a committee meeting on March 15, FCCB indicated its support for SB 1954 (Rodrigues, R.), which establishes the Resilient Florida Program. The program includes spending up to $100 million a year on projects to address flooding and sea-level rise and creates a grant program for local governments to develop resilience plans. The bill passed Senate Environment and Natural Resources, its first committee of reference, unanimously. The House companion, HB 7019, is awaiting placement on the agenda of the House State Affairs Committee.

The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee passed (5-2) a bill that 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.

On March 19, Governor Rick Scott signed SB 920 into law. The measure allows a new product for payday loans up to $1000 that will cost consumers more in fees and interest payments than the current payday products. It also allows loans to be made at triple-digit annual percentage rates. Most comparable loans are capped at 30 percent.

The Florida legislature has acted quickly to address gun policy and school safety in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. HB 7101 and SB 7026 both contain key changes that improve state law and help to ensure that a tragedy such as the one that occurred in Parkland on February 14 never occurs again. Key provisions of the bills include:

Payday lenders in Florida charge consumers an average of 278% annual percentage rate. Payday borrowers often have difficulty making ends meet when they repay the loan on their next payday, and then find themselves caught in a cycle of debt. The average payday borrower in Florida borrows 7.7 payday loans in one year; more than half will borrow 12 loans.