A.G. Gancarski
The Senate Community Affairs Committee is moving forward a bill giving the state preemption powers over local governments regarding a future Donald Trump presidential library.
Without discussion, the panel advanced Sen. Jason Brodeur’s legislation (SB 118). The Central Florida Republican said the bill was a way to “roll out the welcome mat” and afford Trump “maximum flexibility.”
The bill reserves to the state “all regulatory authority over the establishment, maintenance, activities, and operations of presidential libraries.” It blocks “counties, municipalities, or other political subdivisions from enacting or enforcing any ordinance, resolution, rule, or other measure regarding presidential libraries unless authorized by federal law.”
Central to the legislative premise is the idea that such libraries are “unique national institutions designated to house, preserve, and make accessible the records of former presidents.”
The measure also aims to get ahead of any potential roadblocks put up by more left-leaning jurisdictions in South Florida, where Mar-a-Lago is located and where Trump may want to house his future library.
The bill uses the definition of a presidential library adopted federally in 1986 by an act of Congress when Ronald Reagan was the chief executive, encompassing “research facilities and museum facilities,” and enshrining them as part of the National Archives system.
The federal legislation actually applied to Presidents after Reagan, such as George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as it took effect for Presidents inaugurated for their first terms after 1985, which was when Reagan’s second and final term as President began.
The Rules Committee will be the next stop for this proposal. From there, the full Senate would get to vote on it.
Rep. Alex Andrade’s House companion bill (HB 69) has two committee stops ahead. It has yet to be heard.
One comment
PeterH
February 18, 2025 at 2:50 pm
The Donald Trump Library could consist of a few flash drives with his thousands of Tweets, videos of his two impeachment hearings and of course the videos and MAGA propaganda videos of January 6th attempted coup. This could easily fit into a double wide and The Villages would be a terrific location to house the trailer.