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
January 9 - March 9, 2018

The following priority issues are expected to be considered by lawmakers during the 2018 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 we do not protect the inalienable right to life of the unborn, the human family will make little progress dealing with the death penalty, poverty, euthanasia and other attacks on human life and dignity. 

• Strengthening the role of crisis pregnancy centers that serve pregnant women and their children 
• 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  

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

• Providing health coverage for the uninsured especially those who are most economically and socially vulnerable
• Preserving freedom of conscience for health care workers and institutions with respect to abortion, family planning, executions, and end-of-life decisions
• Promoting ethical and appropriate palliative and end-of-life health care policies that respect the dignity of the human person
• Opposing euthanasia and all forms of physician assisted suicide
• Advancing efforts that strengthen community-based mental health and substance abuse services and policies, especially as they relate to the opioid epidemic
• Promoting policies that enhance the stewardship of the natural environment and its effects on the population

EDUCATION
The Church supports the rights of parents to select the schools they deem best suited for their children, especially the poor and disabled, to receive federal and state services necessary to achieve academically and socially.

• Expanding eligibility for Gardiner Scholarship Accounts by allowing students to participate until age 26 and including dyslexia and dysgraphia
• Expanding tax credit sources for donations that support Florida Tax Credit Program Scholarships
• Restoring per-student scholarships in the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program to 2007-2008 school year levels
• Removing the requirement for attendance in public school the year prior under the McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities
• Covering the cost of dual-enrolled non-public school students as is the case for public school students 

FAMILY & SOCIAL CONCERNS
As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live. 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 to serve the public in accord with deeply held moral or religious beliefs concerning the sanctity of life, marriage and human ecology
• Improving juvenile justice policies by treating minors according to their cognitive abilities and making the most of their capacity to reform their lives
• Protecting poor and vulnerable families and individuals from the traps of debt by capping the APR for payday lenders, supporting a living wage, 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 and partnerships
• Defeating human trafficking by protecting survivors of forced commercial sex or labor and punishing those who benefit from the exploitation of vulnerable human beings
• Supporting efforts for comprehensive, positive immigration reforms at the federal level