Religious expression legislation slated for Tuesday committees in House, Senate

Legislation that could extend the concept of religious expression in public schools will have committee hearings in the Florida House and Senate Tuesday.

The “Florida Student and School Personnel and Religious Liberties Act” [HB 303 / SB 436] is being carried on the House side by Democratic Rep. Kim Daniels and the Senate side by Sen. Dennis Baxley.

The bill, should it become law, would ban school districts “from discriminating against students, parents, & school personnel on basis of religious viewpoints or expression,” with the Department of Education offering policy guidance for the state’s districts.

The bill would allow for “religious expressions,” such as prayer, at school-sponsored events as part of a “limited public forum.” It would also allow “religious expression” in coursework, and also allow for prayer groups and “religious gatherings” that could be organized at any time a commensurate (and undefined) secular activity is permitted, including during the school day.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hears the Baxley version of the bill Tuesday at 2 p.m.

At the same time, the House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee hears the Daniels version of the legislation.

The Baxley version cleared the Education Committee by a 5 to 2 margin last Monday. If the bill clears committee tomorrow, it moves to the full Senate.

The House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee is just the first of three stops for the Daniels bill, which also would have to clear the Judiciary and Education committees before getting a full hearing by the House.