Public Policy Priorities

The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of his Church guide the work of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, which, through relationships with representatives and agencies of Florida government, analyzes the moral dimension of public policies, proclaims the sanctity of life and dignity of the human person, leads decision makers in reaching just solutions, and provides opportunities for Catholics in Florida to carry out their responsibility to participate in political life.

REGULAR SESSION OF THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
March 5 - May 3, 2019

The following priority issues are expected to be considered by lawmakers during the 2019 Regular Session of the Florida Legislature.

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LIFE
The true moral test of society is how the weakest and most vulnerable members are treated. If the inalienable right to life of the unborn is not protected, the human family will make little progress dealing with the death penalty, poverty, euthanasia and other attacks on human life and dignity.

• Expanding the role of Florida Pregnancy Care Network pregnancy support centers that assist pregnant mothers and their families in preparation for parenting or adoption
• Ending the use of the death penalty in Florida and replacing it with life imprisonment without parole
• Clarifying Florida’s privacy clause to ensure that Florida’s constitution does not provide greater rights to an abortion than the U.S. Constitution
• Requiring parental consent before a minor child’s abortion, as required for other comparable interventions

HEALTH
As a basic human right necessary for a healthy and just society, the Church supports ensuring accessible, quality health care for all. Health delivery systems must be rooted in values that respect life, acknowledge human dignity and respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable.

• Ensuring access to health care for the most economically and socially vulnerable residents of Florida
• Preserving freedom of conscience for health care providers with respect to abortion, family planning, executions, and end-of-life decisions
• Promoting ethical and appropriate end-of-life health care policies, including palliative and hospice care, that respect the dignity of the human person
• Opposing strongly any efforts to overturn Florida’s ban on physician assisted suicide and euthanasia
• Supporting efforts that improve the availability of community-based mental health and substance abuse services, especially as they relate to the opioid epidemic and youth violence
• Promoting policies that enhance the stewardship and care of Florida’s natural environment, especially to address red tide and algae bloom

EDUCATION
The Church supports the rights of parents to select the schools they deem best suited for their children. There is a special emphasis on ensuring that poor and disabled students receive federal and state services necessary to achieve academically and socially.

• Establishing Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for lower-income families to enhance parental choice in education
• Hardening the physical security of public and nonpublic schools
• Covering the cost of dual-enrolled non-public school students as is the case for public school and home education students
• Streamlining the background screening process for nonpublic school employees (such as administrators, teachers and after-school staff) to enhance effectiveness and reduce duplication

FAMILY & SOCIAL CONCERNS
As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world. Human dignity is first recognized and understood within the context of the family. All persons have certain basic rights, and society has a moral obligation to ensure no one is denied that which is necessary to live with dignity.

• Ensuring the freedom of all people to serve the public in accord with deeply held moral or religious convictions concerning the sanctity of life, marriage and integral human ecology
• Improving juvenile justice policies by treating minors according to cognitive abilities and making the most of their capacity to reform their lives
• Emphasizing rehabilitation over retribution in the criminal justice system by allowing judges to depart from mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent and first-time offenses
• Protecting the poor and vulnerable from the traps of debt and offering alternatives to license suspension for those who demonstrate an inability to pay traffic citation fees
• Directing affordable housing trust fund dollars as intended for state and local housing programs
• Defeating human trafficking and preventing the sexual exploitation of children by strengthening laws addressing child pornography
• Supporting comprehensive immigration reform efforts at the federal level