Sixty Days for 2.2.22 — A prime-time look at the 2022 Legislative Session

Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2021 Legislative Session:

The Last 24

Senate Republicans took the first step toward banning abortion in Florida after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, advancing the proposal (SB 146) through its first committee on a party-line vote. Ahead of the committee, Democrats held a news conference alongside doctors who provide abortions blasting the Mississippi-style bill as cruel and harmful to poor and minority women. And during the hearing, Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book decried the bill as “dangerous,” and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried pleaded with GOP committee members to buck Gov. Ron DeSantis and block the bill. However, Democrats were powerless to stop the ban’s forward march in the Republican-dominated committee.  Here’s your nightly rundown.

New maps. The Florida House voted 77-39 in favor of new boundaries for 120 state House districts.

Statewide rules. The latest Senate attempt (SB 512) to create a statewide vacation rental homes licensing system and preempt local controls cleared its second committee.

Thanks, but no thanks. An early budget proposal from the House doesn’t include money for the Governor’s jobs fund and ignores his call for a gas tax cut.

Toned down. New rules (HB 1421) to bolster school safety were unanimously approved in a House committee absent a controversial provision that would have withheld superintendents’ salaries for noncompliance.

‘No Patient Left Alone.’ A bill (SB 988) aimed at strengthening patient visitation rights in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities across Florida cleared its penultimate Senate committee.

Cyber plates. A bill (SB 1178) to greenlight digital license plates passed its first Senate committee with unanimous support.

‘Legislative malpractice.’ The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee voted 10-1 to pass the no-fault repeal (SB 150), despite one Senator calling it “legislative malpractice.”

‘Preemption to end all preemptions.’ A bill (HB 569) that would allow businesses to sue local governments if an ordinance hurts their bottom line cleared another House committee.

‘Hunger-Free Campus.’ The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced legislation (SB 1916) aimed at ending food insecurity among college students.

Blame game. With rents on the rise, DeSantis is pinning blame on the Biden administration for inflationary policies.

It’s baaaack. A proposed committee bill (HB 7049) introduced this week would mostly roll back the legal notices legislation approved by lawmakers last year.

‘Markel Act.’ The House Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee voted unanimously to advance grandparent visitation legislation (HB 1119) inspired by the murder of FSU professor Dan Markel.

Quote of the Day

“This is essentially, in my opinion, legislative malpractice. If we are going to talk about the lives of millions of Floridians and we have not, over the summer, gotten an actuarial study … I don’t know how any member can vote on this.” 

— Sen. Jeff Brandes, on legislation to repeal the state’s no-fault auto insurance system.

Bill Day’s Latest

3 Questions

HB 7 passed its second committee Tuesday after receiving fierce Democrat opposition. The bill would prohibit lessons and training which teach that some people are morally superior to members of another race, color, sex, or national origin and ban teachings that an individual is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Miami Gardens Rep. Felicia Robinson opposes the bill. She is an assistant principal in Miami-Dade County and has worked as an educator for over 25 years.

Florida Politics spoke with Robinson about her opposition and whether she thinks critical race theory should be taught in Florida schools.

Q: Why do you oppose HB 7?

Robinson: As an educator, I think it is a continuation of de-professionalizing the educator. We take our job seriously. When I go into a classroom, I will not share or discuss anything that I think will be harmful for a child. Our job is to enlighten them, support them, give them insight and knowledge to be successful. And so when we have a bill that continuously restricts how we say things or what we say, I just think that that’s wrong. There are very few other professions that you find this in, but when it comes to education, it seems that there is legislation to hinder us. It doesn’t treat us as professionals.

I feel that this particular piece of legislation is another one of their hypocritical bills. If you look right now at legislation passing through committees, we have the Evils of Communism bill (HB 395), they want us to recognize it, to teach it, to give it a date. The social study curriculum, at this time, teaches all different types of government, including communist, you know, because we want children to have a vast variety of information to know how different governments work. But then when it comes to this particular legislation, something that’s not even taught, but because it has a perception of talking about slavery, or it may talk about a particular group of people that they don’t want to support, they want to put legislation to have restrictions. That is hypocritical to me. 

Q: Why do you think the issue of critical race theory is being used this Session?

Robinson: It’s interesting. I haven’t spoken to this particular bill’s sponsors, but in other conversations I’ve had, a lot of the legislation that doesn’t make sense isn’t the sponsor’s actual legislation. It has come from what they call leadership. And I do believe that this is one of those bills that comes from leadership. And I’m trying to be careful and how I phrase this, be very diplomatic. Leadership, again, seems to push out legislation that focuses on a select few. I believe that, that shows that they’re truly not good leaders because when you serve people, you serve in the thought of serving for all. And I think that this particular legislation is just put up there so that they can rally up their people and get their support. You know, but it’s not thinking about the masses or all Floridians.

Q: Do you think critical race theory should be taught in Florida schools, or is how it is currently being handled adequate?

Robinson: I think the way that is currently handled is adequate. However, when we talk about history, I think that history should be taught based on facts, based on what actually happened. I believe when you know better, you do better. If you don’t have the truth about your past, it allows or opens doors for you to repeat it. Critical race theory is taught for a particular profession, because that’s what they need. When we talk about our young kids, you know, K through 12, that’s not what they need. A true teacher would never have a type of discussion that would not be a positive influence, or have some positive effect on your students, because that’s not what teachers do. When it comes to issues like slavery, racism, gender and sex, those types of things, we teach that presently when it is age-appropriate. It comes in when it’s needed. To hinder that is a disadvantage for a lot of our students that count on the school, and the teachers to give them that information.

One of the things I recognize as a teacher is a teacher is not someone that just gives out knowledge. Teachers are counselors, we’re mentors. We do a whole lot, that I don’t know if people don’t recognize, or that people don’t value. I have 28 years experience in education, and throughout the years connecting with my students, I’ve poured so much into their lives, that it makes me proud to see what has happened throughout their life. I would hope that legislators and politicians recognize the impact that we’re having on our future. And that as we continue to create legislation, that we actually make legislation that is going to benefit all people because all people deserve the so-called freedom that we say we have. Everyone deserves to be healthy, prosperous, and safe.

Lobby Up

Last Session, the Legislature approved a bill that laid out a framework for car-sharing businesses to operate in the state.

The law, signed by the Governor in June, requires car-sharing companies to collect sales tax and charge the same dollar-a-day surcharge imposed on traditional rental car companies.

The package also requires car-sharing companies to ensure that the driver and owner of the car have proper insurance. If for some reason that coverage lapses, it mandates that car-sharing companies would have to pick up the liability to minimum standards in any claims.

It was a major win for Turo — the biggest name in the emerging car-sharing industry. But it was not without controversy, with concerns over whether the law does enough to assure public safety when private individuals are turning over their personal cars to strangers to drive.

Turo had been represented by the team at Metz Husband & Daughton, but due to that firm also having clients in the rental car space, the company switched over to the team at Smith Bryan & Myers.

So far, the concerns haven’t spawned any bills that would undo or make substantial changes to the framework. Still, Turo is prepping for the possibility and plans to mount a stout defense if lawmakers put forward any bills that would harm their business model.

Breakthrough Insights

The Next 24

— The House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee will consider a bill (HB 741) favored by the utility industry that would change rules regulating net metering. It meets at 9 a.m. in Reed Hall.

— The Senate Rules Committee will take up a bill (SB 1658) that would allow the Governor to appoint a Department of Environmental Protection Secretary without full Cabinet approval when it meets at 9 a.m. in Room 412 of the Knott Building.

— Florida Ports Council Chair and Port Everglades CEO Jonathan Daniels will deliver a “State of Seaports” at 11 a.m. on the 22nd floor of the Capitol. The address is part of “Seaports Day” at the Capitol.

— The Senate will convene for a floor session at noon. The agenda includes bills that would make changes to the CAT Fund (SB 468), require health insurers to cover hearing aids for children (SB 498), exempt university president applications from public record (SB 520), curb overdose deaths (SB 544), increase penalties for crossing county lines to commit burglary (SB 360) and push back the sunset date for VISIT FLORIDA (SB 434).

— House Government Operations Subcommittee will consider a bill (HB 703) that would provide a public records exemption for university and college presidential applications when it meets at 2 p.m. in Room 404 of the House Office Building.

Also, the following committees will meet.

— The House Rules Committee meets at 8 a.m. in Room 404 of the House Office Building.

— The Senate Finance & Tax Committee meets at 9 a.m. in Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.

— The House Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee meets at 9 a.m. in Morris Hall.

— The House State Administration & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee meets at 9 a.m. in Room 212 of the Knott Building.

— The House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee meets at 9 a.m. in Room 404 of the House Office Building.

— The House Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee meets at 11:30 a.m. in Reed Hall.

— The House Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee meets at 11:30 a.m. in Room 212 of the Knott Building.

— The House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee meets at 11:30 a.m. in Room 404 of the House Office Building.

— The House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee meets at 11:30 a.m. in Morris Hall.

— The House Finance & Facilities Subcommittee meets at 2 p.m. in Morris Hall.

— The House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee meets at 2 p.m. in Reed Hall.

— The House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee meets at 2 p.m. in Room 212 of the Knott Building.

— The House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee meets at 4:30 p.m. in Morris Hall.

— The House Public Integrity & Elections Committee meets at 4:30 p.m. in Room 404 of the House Office Building.

Full committee agendas, including bills to be considered, are available on the House and Senate websites.