News - April 2021 RSS Feed

On Friday, April 30, the 2021 Regular Session of the Florida Legislature came to a close. Our final summary includes the status of FCCB budget priorities and concerns, bills of interest that were passed by the legislature and bills that died.

HB 7045 (PreK-12 Appropriations) was passed this week by the House (79-36) and is on third reading in the Senate. A final vote is expected in the Senate as early as Monday. The measure eliminates from all scholarship programs the requirement that scholarship recipients be previously enrolled in public schools. It also increases the maximum income eligibility and the scholarship amounts for the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC). Additionally, the bill folds the McKay and Gardiner Scholarships for students with special needs and unique abilities into the FES. Earlier this year, Catholic Days at the Capitol participants urged lawmakers to support expansion of eligibility for the state's scholarship programs.

HB 419 (Grall) was passed unanimously (118-0) by the full House on April 22. The bill streamlines agency oversight of the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) Program, reasonably and effectively increases accountability for VPK providers, and provides more useful and accurate assessments to monitor student progress. The Senate companion, SB 1282 (Harrell), remains on the Senate Special Order Calendar. The FCCB supports reasonable oversight and accountability in Florida's VPK program. These bills accomplish that goal and enhance Florida's early learning education system.

On April 15, the full Senate passed HB 1 (23-17). In response to recent riots, the bill purports to address public disorder by creating new riot-related crimes and enhancing penalties on existing offenses. The FCCB opposes the bill as it is unnecessary and potentially harmful. Any violence committed during a riot, or at any time, is already prosecutable, and it is unnecessary to raise penalties for those crimes. Additionally, some broad terms in the bill could potentially criminalize some of our ministries' public activities such as praying in front of an abortion facility, sidewalk counseling, and prayer vigils to end the use of the death penalty. FCCB's concerns with the measure are further outlined in a letter. The proposal passed the House (76-39) on March 26. A top priority of Governor Ron DeSantis, the measure will be sent to him for his signature.

On April 15, four bills supported by the FCCB were reported favorably by the House Education & Employment Committee:

The legislature passed an amended version of its affordable housing and resiliency plan. SB 2512 passed the Senate (25-14) on April 7 and the House (78-38) on April 8. The Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund will receive approximately $200 million from documentary stamp taxes this year. About half of the revenue that would have previously been available for affordable housing will be protected from future sweeps. This is an improvement over an earlier proposal that redirected two-thirds of funds designated for affordable housing to resiliency efforts. However, the FCCB has long supported full funding of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Sea-level rise initiatives and sewage treatment projects will each receive approximately $111.7 million under the revised plan. SB 2512 will go next to Governor DeSantis for his signature.

SB 582 (Rodrigues, R.) passed its final committee, Rules (11-6), and has been placed on the Senate calendar on second reading. The bill ensures that the right of parents to review instructional materials and curriculum is transparent and forthcoming. It also establishes parental consent requirements for medical care provided to a minor child. Having access to information about their rights allows parents to make informed decisions and better direct their child's education and health care. Companion, HB 241 (Grall), was passed by the full House (78-37) April 1 and has been referred to Senate Rules. FCCB support for the bill is highlighted in a letter to Rep. Grall.

On April 6, HB 1221 (Grall) was passed (12-8) by the House Health & Human Services Committee. The bill prohibits a physician from performing an abortion if the physician knows, or should know, that the woman is seeking the abortion solely on the basis of a prenatal test result or fetal diagnosis of a disability or the potential of a disability. The bill defines disability as any disease, defect or disorder that is genetically inherited including physical disabilities or disfigurement, mental or intellectual disabilities, or Down syndrome, and does not include a lethal fetal anomaly. An exception is provided if the abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother. FCCB supports this measure as an incremental step that limits the harm of an abortion. HB 1221 was passed (12-8) by the House Health & Human Services Committee, its second committee of reference. The Senate companion, SB 1664 (Rodriguez, A.), has yet to be heard in committee.

On April 8, HB 7045 was passed by House Appropriations (20-5) and will go to the full House for consideration. This bill is the companion bill to SB 48 (Diaz). Similar to SB 48, this bill eliminates the prior-public-school requirement for all scholarships. It also increases the scholarship amount for the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC). However, unlike SB 48, this bill leaves the FTC as a separate tax credit scholarship and folds the McKay and Gardiner Scholarships for students with special needs and unique abilities into the FES. Additionally, HB 7045 does not create educational savings accounts for FES and FTC. SB 48 passed all committee references earlier in the session and remains on the Senate calendar on second reading.