News - February 2020 RSS Feed

On February 18, the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee passed SB 664 (3-2). The bill was amended to require all public and private employers use various forms of verification to determine work eligibility for all new employees.

On February 10, members of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Tallahassee Citizens Against the Death Penalty, and Witness to Innocence, a national organization of exonerees, visited the Capitol to advocate for the abolition of Florida's death penalty and for fair treatment of those sentenced to death after a wrongful conviction.

On February 11, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a proposal (4-2) that would mandate public and private employers use E-Verify, a federal program that checks legal work eligibility, for all new hires. SB 664 (Lee) was amended prior to passage to exempt agricultural employers.

On February 11, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill (20-8) that ties a work requirement to the ability to receive Medicaid benefits.

Rooted in the Gospel and the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching, Catholic principles of migration include: Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland. Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection. The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected.

To live in a manner worthy of our human dignity, and to spend our final days on this earth in peace and comfort, surrounded by loved ones -- that is the hope of each of us. While Florida law prohibits assisted suicide, the so-called "Death with Dignity" movement has targeted Florida as a priority state to change our laws to allow a patient to actively end his or her life.

On Thursday, February 6, SB 404 (Stargel) passed the full Senate (23-17). The bill requires that a parent or legal guardian shall provide consent before a minor can terminate her pregnancy, as they must do in most every case prior to a minor's medical treatment. The bill includes a judicial waiver process when parental abuse is a concern.

The Catholic Church proudly advocates for true parental empowerment in education. We support both legislation that expands state scholarship programs as well as a strong system of public education. We support policies, which address the best interests of all schoolchildren. The availability of both private, including faith-based schools as well as a well-funded public education system strengthens all schools. A government-run education monopoly breeds mediocrity and wastes dollars.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released five new videos to inspire prayer and action in political life and to help Catholics apply the Church's teaching as handed down by Pope Francis. The scripts for the videos were approved by the full body of bishops at their November General Assembly in Baltimore. The videos complement Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops' teaching document for the faithful on the political responsibility of Catholics, and they seek to help the faithful participate in public life, prioritize faith over partisan politics, engage with civility, and respond to pressing issues of our day. Each video ends with a prayer.