Stay up to date on bills that impact gender justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA2S+ rights, racial justice, and economic justice in Florida. Every session, hundreds of bills are filed in Tallahassee. Some protect and expand rights, others threaten to roll them back. FL NOW tracks key legislation so you can take action, contact your representatives, and make your voice heard.
For more information, contact FL NOW Legislative Director, Judi Marraccini, legislative@flnow.org
Bills that are of special interest to FL NOW:
FOR -SCR 82 Equal Rights for Men and Women: Berman – Equal Rights for Men and Women; Ratifying the proposed amendment to the United States Constitution relating to equal rights for men and women, etc.
FOR – HB 6001 Pregnancy Support & Wellness Services: Skidmore – Repeals provisions relating to pregnancy support and wellness services. This bill proposes that $29.5 million of your tax dollars would no longer go to the Florida Pregnancy Care Network. These centers offer in-person ultrasounds but do not have a staff who are qualified to diagnose, treat, or discuss the diagnosis. (note from FL NOW: Our tax dollars are enabling centers who not only lie to patients, but who are willing to risk the health and safety of Floridians in order to advance an extremist political agenda.)
FOR -SB 32 Injunctions for Protection in Cases of Repeat or Serious Violence: Sharief – Injunctions for Protection in Cases of Repeat or Serious Violence; Replacing the term “repeat violence” with the term “repeat or serious violence”; defining the term “repeat or serious violence”; expanding the grounds for an existing cause of action for an injunction of protection to include serious violence in addition to repeat violence; revising the name of an existing cause of action to an injunction for protection in cases of repeat or serious violence, rather than in cases of repeat violence, etc.
FOR – SB 34 Historic Cemeteries Program: Sharief – Historic Cemeteries Program; Requiring local governments to approve applications from historic African-American cemeteries to change the land use category and zoning district of excess vacant land under certain conditions, etc.
FOR – SB 172 / HB 59. Pregnant Women In Custody: Shevrin Jones Citing this act as “Ava’s law”; requiring that, upon her request, every female arrested and not released on bond within 72 hours after arrest be administered a pregnancy test within a specified timeframe; requiring each municipal detention facility or county detention facility to notify each arrested female upon booking at the facility of her right to request a pregnancy test; defining the term “pregnant woman”; requiring the court to consider specified factors in determining whether to grant a pregnant woman’s request to stay the beginning of the period of incarceration, etc.
AGAINST – SB 166 Parental Rights: Grall – Parental Rights; Revising requirements for the provision of maternal health and contraceptive information and services to minors; requiring consent from a parent or guardian for a minor’s treatment for certain diseases; repealing a provision relating to minors’ access to outpatient crisis intervention services and treatment; requiring school districts to provide parents with specified information before the district administers certain questionnaires or forms to students, etc.
AGAINST – SB 164 Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child: Grall – Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child; Revising the definition of the term “survivors” to include the parents of an unborn child; defining the term “unborn child”; prohibiting a right of action against the mother for the wrongful death of an unborn child or against a medical provider for lawful medical care provided in certain circumstances, etc.
Gun / Ammunition Safety Bills / Although Gun Safety is not one of our issues, Violence Against Women is our issue. Since most of the violence incorporates threatening or shooting with a gun, we urge you to support gun safety bills. HB 41/ SB 90 & HB 43 / SB 90.
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