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Capitol Connection
2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: WEEK 1
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This week kicked off the start of Florida’s 125th Regular Legislative Session. On Tuesday, March 7th Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, (R- Naples) addressed the Senate Chamber with her opening remarks that may be found here. Speaker of the House Paul Renner, (R- Palm Coast) also addressed the House Chamber with his opening remarks that may be found here. Governor Ron DeSantis also gave his annual State of the State address to all members of the legislature and his remarks may be found here.
Committees continued to meet with bills being introduced including HB 249 Level 2 Background Screenings, by Representative Dana Trabulsy, (R- St. Lucie) and HB 19 Individual Education Plans, by Representative Allison Tant, (D- Tallahassee) which passed out of the House Education & Employment Committee. Also being presented this week HB 223 Public School Student Progression for Students with Disabilities passed out of the House PreK-12 Appropriations Committee making it the second committee stop for that bill.
Furthermore, there was major movement in both House and Senate priority legislation. In the Senate its omnibus housing package SB 102 Housing, by Senator Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami), passed out of the Senate and is now in messages to the House. In the House HB 1 School Choice, by Representative Kaylee Tuck, (R-Lake Placid) passed its final committee on Friday with approval from the House Education Quality Subcommittee.
As always, we look forward to bringing you weekly information on legislation that effects Florida’s communities, children, and families throughout the 60 day Regular Legislative Session. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out.
Until next time!
Sincerely,
The Florida Alliance of Children's Councils & Trusts
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These similar bills rename the Commission on Mental Health & Substance Abuse, revise the purpose and duties of the commission to include assessment of the state's suicide prevention infrastructure, and allow certain diagnoses to be made through telehealth. | | |
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These identical bills require social media platforms to disclose specified information, resources, measures, and disclaimers and prohibit certain schools from requiring students to register, enroll, or participate in social media platforms for educational purposes. | | |
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These identical bills increase the income eligibility threshold for coverage under the Florida Kidcare program, require applicants seeking coverage under the program to provide specified documentation, require that premiums for certain enrollees under the program be based on a tiered system of uniform premiums, and provide that certain amendments made by this act are subject to federal approval through a waiver or state plan amendment. | | |
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This similar bill establishes a tiered system of family premiums for Title-XXI coverage under the Florida Kidcare program beginning on specified date. It authorizes AHCA to seek federal waiver approval or submit any state plan amendments as necessary, increases the income eligibility threshold for coverage under the program to conform to changes made by the act, and provides that specified amendments are subject to federal approval. | | |
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These similar bills revise the array of services offered by the child and adolescent mental health system of care and address access to and use of digital devices both during and outside of school instruction. | | |
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These identical bills define the term "congenital cytomegalovirus test" and revise newborn hearing screening requirements to require that all newborns, rather than only those who fail the initial newborn hearing screening, be tested for congenital cytomegalovirus, etc. | | |
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These identical bills require a local licensing agency or the Department of Children and Families to issue a provisional license or registration for a family day care home under certain circumstances. | | |
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These similar bills revise provisions relating to taxes for preschools & child care providers, licensing, training requirements, screenings, timeframes, insurance, & regulation. Provides an exemption for public and private preschools from specified special assessments levied by a municipality, a tax credit for certain contributions made to a child care facility, authorizes specified tax credits for corporations establishing and operating or making payments to, child care facilities for their employees under certain conditions, requires the Department of Children and Families to conduct specified screening of child care personnel within a specified timeframe and issue provisional approval of such personnel, and provide that an insurer may not deny, cancel, or refuse to renew a policy on the basis that the policyholder operates a large family child care home. | | |
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These identical bills rename the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Pilot Program as the Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Program. Revises criteria for a school district’s eligibility to participate in the program and deletes an obsolete provision requiring the University of Florida’s College of Education to conduct a specified evaluation. | | |
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These identical bills revise instructional hours required in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to provide for an 8-hour program day in summer & school-year programs. | | |
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These similar bills revise provisions relating to the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, obligations of eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations, and part-time enrollment in public schools. Require the State Board of Education to provide recommendations by a specified date to the Governor and the Legislature for repeals and revisions of the Florida Early Learning-20 Education Code to be considered in the 2024 legislative session. Authorize vehicles other than buses to transport students and permits district school boards to use advanced degrees in setting salary schedules for instructional personnel or school administrators. | | |
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These similar bills address reading and mathematics instructional and intervention programs and materials. | | |
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SB 630 - Open Door Grant Program
Sen. Burgess
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These similar bills require the Commissioner of Education to approve or disapprove final Master Credential List; require Credentials Review Committee to submit a new list to the commissioner within the specified timeframe & increases amount DOE may reimburse an institution through Open Door Grant Program for a completed workforce training program. | | |
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These similar bills require members of the instructional staff of public schools to provide instruction on social media safety; defines the term "social media"; requires the Department of Education to make social media instructional material available online, requires district school boards to notify parents of the availability of the instructional material, and requires each school district to prohibit & prevent students from accessing social media platforms through use of internet access provided by school districts. | | |
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These identical bills revise a specified reduction calculation for certain school district funding for school districts that fail to meet certain class size requirements as well as revising provisions related to students of active duty military personnel. | | |
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SB 1112 - Middle School and High School Start Times
Sen. Burgess
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These identical bills provide requirements for middle and high school start times and require charter schools to meet such requirements. | |
Out-Of-School Time Programs | | |
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These similar bills revise provisions related to level 2 background screenings for certain persons who have access to children & participation in the Care Provider Screening Clearing House. These bills require the clearinghouse to allow the results of certain screenings after a certain date to be shared among specified agencies and qualified entities. The bills revise requirements for independent sanctioning authorities to participate in specified background screening system, expand agencies & entities which may utilize the Criminal Justice Information Program for fingerprint searches, and requires the program to develop, for federal approval, a specified method for identifying or verifying individuals and requires specified entities to initiate criminal history checks through FDLE or clearinghouse by a specified date. Provides requirements for clearinghouse and revises requirements for educator certification or employment in positions that require direct contact with certain students. | |
Children with Disabilities | | |
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These identical bills require IEPs for certain students to contain information and instruction on legal rights & responsibilities that transfer to students at age 18 and require information to include ways in which a student may provide informed consent to allow his or her parent to continue to participate in educational decisions. | | |
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These similar bills require comprehensive plans for student progression to provide for specified students with disabilities to be retained in prekindergarten at the discretion of a student’s parent, requiring such students to receive intensive reading interventions, and revising the requirements for certain students with disabilities to receive a good cause exemption from mandatory retention in grade 3. | | |
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These similar bills create a Task Force on Monitoring of Children in Out-of-Home Care and provides for membership. Requires the task force to convene by specified date, authorizes the task force to conduct meetings through teleconference or other electronic means, and provides duties of the task force. Requires the Florida Institute for Child Welfare to conduct focus groups & submit its findings to the task force, requires DCF to submit certain monthly reports to the task force, requires the task force to submit report to Governor & Legislature, and provides for repeal of the task force. | | |
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These similar bills require the Department of Children and Families to establish the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman to serve a specified purpose. Specifies dates by which the office must be established and certain information and training and processes provided. Requires the department to work with all stakeholders to educate children and young adults in out-of-home care regarding their rights and protections and the benefits available to them, and requires specified staff to provide certain materials to children and young adults in out-of-home care and explain certain rights and protections. Requires the department to adopt rules. | | |
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These similar bills revise provisions related to guardian and attorney ad litem access for dependent children, modify out-of-home case plan requirements, and authorizes the Pathway to Prosperity program to provide grants to youth and young adults aging out of foster care. | |
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HB 1007 - Children Removed from Caregivers
Rep. Borrero
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SB 1064 - Children Removed from Caregivers
Sen. Yarborough
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These identical bills require community based care lead agencies to provide trauma focused assessment and services to children removed from caregivers. | | |
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These similar bills provide for access to records and the ability to initiate court proceedings related to dependent children. | | |
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These similar bills remove provisions for fees for costs of care or supervision of certain children & for assessment & collection of such fees, provides such fees may not be ordered, balances for such fees may not be collected, unpaid civil judgments for such fees are void & unenforceable, warrants issued solely based on alleged failure to pay such fees are void & any person whose driver license was suspended for failure to pay such fees shall be eligible for reinstatement. | | |
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These similar bills revise the criteria for the criminal record expunction process for juveniles. | |
Economic Self-Sufficiency | | |
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These identical bills cite this act as the "Live Local Act" and delete the authority of local governments to adopt or maintain laws, ordinances, rules, or other measures that would impose controls on rents. Provides an exemption from ad valorem taxation for land that meets certain criteria, authorizes local governments to adopt ordinances to provide an ad valorem tax exemption for portions of property used to provide affordable housing meeting certain requirements, suspends, for a specified period, the General Revenue Fund service charge on documentary stamp tax collections, and authorizes the Governor, under the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, to approve state or local public infrastructure projects to facilitate the development or construction of affordable housing. | | | | |
