2024 Legislative Session Preview: As Ron DeSantis campaigns, lawmakers eye major education, health care changes

Florida lawmakers will kick off the Regular Session on Tuesday, ready to take on bills to remove some education standards and regulations, reduce restrictions on child labor, ban social media sign-ups for minors and expand the state’s health care workforce and health care access for citizens.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has dominated the Legislature during his time in office, essentially keeping them in lockstep with his proposals to ban “gender-affirming” care for minors, allow concealed weapons to be carried without a permit, make child rapists eligible for the death penalty, eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in schools and universities and ban “woke” investing by state and local governments — and that was just last year.

But DeSantis has spent much of the run-up to the 60-day Session campaigning in Iowa, where Republican voters are set to hold their caucus in the presidential nominating contest Jan. 15, and hasn’t put forward such an aggressive agenda this time around.

DeSantis hasn’t gained traction on the campaign trail, as former President Donald Trump continues to lead the GOP pack, but regardless of how DeSantis fares in the early Primary contests, the Legislature will consider bills with major policy implications. Here’s a look at some of the major issues this Session.

EDUCATION

Third-graders who don’t score well on an English test that currently determines whether they will move on to fourth grade would still be able to advance if their parents feel it’s in their best interest, under SB 7004. That’s one of the more controversial provisions in the measure that’s part of a trio of bills (SB 7000 and SB 7002 are the other two) that will reduce regulations in K-12 public schools, including rules over how to train and pay teachers.

Another part of SB 7004 would allow students not to pass an end-of-course exam in Algebra I and a 10th-grade English exam and still receive a diploma.

HEALTH CARE

Another top priority for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, is to increase the health care workforce and health care access in the state. In a slate of bills, including SB 7016 and SB 7018, there would be $767 million in funding for teaching and training medical workers and increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for a variety of services. The plan isn’t an expansion of Medicaid, as Democrats have pushed for, however.

CHILD LABOR

A bill (HB 49) from Rep. Linda Chaney, a St. Pete Beach Republican, would remove a series of restrictions on 16- and 17 year-olds in the workforce. Under the bill, those 16 and 17 would be allowed to work the same number of hours as an adult each week and the prohibition on children working more than six days in a week would be removed.

The bill has received vehement pushback from Democrats but passed through one House committee already. However, the Senate companion measure (SB 1596) hasn’t received a hearing yet.

SOCIAL MEDIA

One of the top priorities of House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, is to impose restrictions on social media access for minors. HB 1 would require social media companies to ban new accounts for minors and allow parents to request termination of their children’s accounts. Violations would be enforced under the Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices law, with civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation.

INSURANCE

Lawmakers have passed a series of bills in recent years aimed at reducing lawsuits in property insurance disputes, which insurers largely blame for the increase in rates. But premiums have continued to skyrocket throughout much of the state.

Some bills have been filed to address parts of the issue surrounding rates, including HB 1213, sponsored by Rep. Spencer Roach, a North Fort Myers Republican, which would require Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer of last resort, to offer coverage to any homeowner in the state. It’s unclear how much traction such bills will have, however, as supporters of the previous laws argue they need more time to draw rates down.