Dear Friend,
The 2024 Legislative Session has begun.
The House and Senate gaveled open the session on Tuesday morning – even as tornado warnings literally blared on our phones while a storm front moved through Tallahassee. The session will run for the next 60 days.
It was an eventful first week: Florida Republicans filed bills to ban abortion and mail voting while also declaring they will once again refuse to extend Medicaid health insurance to more Floridians. Meanwhile, business lobbyists advanced bills to let companies slash wages for workers and make high school students work longer hours.
But we’re also working on some good legislation too – including bills I’m sponsoring to protect veterans from predatory scammers and students with disabilities who are at high risk of eloping from schools. And bills we’re co-sponsoring, like policies on property insurance bills.
You can find details on all those issues – and many more – in our Week One update below. I hope you’ll find it helpful and informative.
The next two months are going to be critical, as we fight to defend important freedoms and protect the rights of workers, consumers, kids, Black and brown communities, LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants – and so many others who find themselves under attack from Tallahassee.
Your voice will be so important to the battles ahead – both in stopping bad bills that should not pass and amplifying good bills that should. I encourage you to follow us on other channels – like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube – so you can get real-time alerts, too.
It will be a hard session. But we can make it much better, if we all work together.
Onward,
Rep. Anna V. Eskamani
Legislation Filed Impacting Property Insurance
By the time the session started, more than two dozen bills had been filed trying to address the state’s continuing property insurance crisis.
Some of ideas are pretty promising: Like bills to make insurance companies disclose more details about their finances to regulators and to prevent them from canceling coverage before a property owner has finished rebuilding after a hurricane.
Other are potentially troubling: Like bills making it easier for insurers to raise rates on some properties or sell worse insurance that doesn’t actually cover the cost of replacing a roof.
But there’s one really big idea: House Bill 1213, a bipartisan bill that would create a true public option for hurricane insurance in Florida that would give Floridians an alternative to price-gouging private insurers.
None of these bills were heard during the first week of session. But we’ll keep you posted as they start to move.
State of the State and the Democratic Response
Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the 2024 Session with his annual “State of the State” address. But this year’s speech was a bit different.
The governor didn’t have any new ideas. Didn’t say anything of substance about Florida’s affordability crisis and the still-soaring costs of things like property insurance, rent and car insurance. His speech was just a low-energy, listless rehash of some of the terrible things he’s done in the past – a speech aimed at caucus voters in Iowa rather than Floridians back at home.
But after that sad stump speech, my House Democratic colleagues and I delivered a rebuttal. Watch my part in that response here.
The Florida Senate blocks Medicaid expansion (again)
While Gov. DeSantis didn’t say a single thing of note, the Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) made some news in her opening-day speech. Unfortunately, it was bad news.
Passidomo declared that the Florida Senate will refuse to consider any legislation expanding Medicaid health insurance. “Medicaid expansion is not going to happen in Florida,” she said.
That’s incredibly disappointing. It means that Florida will remain one of just 10 states in the country that still refuses to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act – which keeps affordable health insurance out of the reach of an estimated 800,000 low- and middle-income Floridians. Florida’s refusal to expand Medicaid is the reason we have one of the very highest rates of uninsured in the entire country.
It really is too bad that she and other Tallahassee Republicans remain so dogmatic and close-minded about this. Because Republican leaders in other GOP-controlled states – places like Mississippi, North Carolina and South Dakota – are actually putting people above partisan politics and pursuing Medicaid expansion.
Republicans file a total abortion ban
Republicans have filed a bill that would impose a total abortion ban in Florida.
House Bill 1519 would ban virtually all abortions – from the moment of conception. It would force victims of rape and incest to carry their pregnancies to term. It would throw doctors who perform abortions in state prison for up to five years.
Two years ago, Republican lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis passed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Last year, they passed a law banning abortions after six weeks – which is already before many women even know they are pregnant. And now they want to eliminate access to abortion entirely.
This was always where they planned to go from the very moment the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Read more here about what’s at take in 2024 for abortion access in Florida and in the country.
Bills would revoke Floridians’ right to vote by mail
Republicans have also filed to take away your freedom to vote by mail.
House Bill 1669 and Senate Bill 1752 would make it illegal to vote by mail in elections for everyone but a select few Floridians who qualify for narrow exceptions.
First, this is anti-Democratic. This is a brazen attempt to make it harder for Floridians to vote – particularly disadvantaged people like elderly folks, people with disabilities, those who cannot afford to take time off from work or who lack access to transportation. We should be making it more convenient for Floridians to vote, rather than throwing up obstacles that are meant to depress turnout.
Second, it’s ironic. Because it was Florida Republicans themselves who passed the law giving all Floridians the right to vote by mail. And Florida Republicans used to work really hard to get their supporters to cast mail ballots.
But Donald Trump decided he doesn’t like mail voting, so now his followers in the Florida Legislature have turned against it, too.
Click here to see a quick review of some bad bills that were filed last week.
A dangerous plan to call a national constitutional convention
Just hours after the 2024 Session began, the Florida House of Representatives passed its first pieces of legislation: Resolutions aimed at forcing Congress to call a national constitutional convention.
This is part of a national effort orchestrated by far-right groups to trigger a convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, at which states could propose new amendments to the Constitution.
This is an incredibly dangerous idea. There are no rules whatsoever in the U.S. Constitution governing how an Article V convention could work – which means that a group of unelected and accountable political appointees could be given the power to propose an entire rewrite of our nation’s founding document.
Florida Republicans kept claiming that they only want to pass amendments imposing term limits and spending restrictions on Congress. But some legal scholars say that there would be nothing to stop an Article V convention from going much further than that and proposing amendments that could revoke some of our most cherished rights – like freedom of religion and freedom of speech, or the rights to privacy and peaceful protest. There is also nothing that would prevent corporations from pouring money into the convention to propose amendments that benefit a corporation’s agenda rather than the nation’s as a whole.
Think about it: The Florida Republicans who want to call a constitutional convention for the entire country are the same legislators trying to ban abortions and mail here in Florida.
The resolutions (HCR 693 and HCR 703) both passed by 80-33 votes. You can see how all members voted here and here.
The state will not audit OnePulse
I was disappointed to learn last week that the state of Florida will not conduct an audit on taxpayer funds given to the failed OnePulse Foundation.
I had requested an audit to account for $680,000 provided to the organization in the state’s 2020-21 fiscal year. That money was intended to help pay for a permanent memorial honoring the lives lost at Pulse. It was instead spent entirely on salaries. You can learn more by watching this news clip:
A bill weakening child-labor laws advances
Republicans continued to advance a corporate-backed bill that would weaken Florida’s child-labor laws.
House Bill 49 would allow businesses to make high-school students longer than 8 hours a day on a school night and more than 30 hours a week during the school year. The bill was rewritten to remove a provision that would have allowed businesses to put high schoolers on overnight shifts.
But the new version would now allow kids to drop out of school and become full-time workers the moment they turn 16. The legislation is being pushed by lobbyists for low-wage restaurants and tourism businesses that don’t want to raise pay to attract more adult workers amid a tight labor market.
HB 49 passed the House Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee by a 12-5 vote.
A allowing businesses to slash wages for workers clears its first committee
Even as corporate lobbyists try to encourage more kids to drop out of school and become full-time workers, they also want to cut pay for workers and provide them with fewer benefits and safety precautions.
And House Bill 433, would let them do it. The legislation, which passed its first House committee last week, would: 1) Erase local living wage ordinances; 2) Stop communities from passing local laws that ensure better benefits for workers; and 3) Block safety standards for farmworkers, construction crews, and other Floridians who work outdoors in extreme heat.
With lobbyists, big business groups like Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association cheering it on, HB 433 passed the House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee by a 9-4 vote.
Cracking down on companies defrauding veterans, and keeping students with disabilities safe at schools
Shortly before the session started, I filed two more bills – one to prevent scammers from defrauding veterans applying for VA benefits and another to protect students with special needs while they are in school. You can read more here.
House Bill 1351 would crack down on entities that are charging illegal fees to U.S. military veterans who are trying to file claims for disability benefits that they have earned through their service. The bill is called the GUARD VA Benefits Act. You can read more about it here.
Meanwhile, House Bill 1395 would require schools in Florida to prepare detailed emergency procedures that could be immediately activated if a student with special needs elopes from campus. Read more about it here and here. As a reminder, as a member of the state House, I am only allowed to file seven bills each session. Click here to see the full list of the bills I’m sponsoring this year.
Court rules that Ron DeSantis violated the U.S. Constitution when he suspended Tampa’s state attorney
Big legal news this week: A federal appeals court ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the First Amendment when he removed Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren from office after Warren spoke out in support of access to abortion.
But more importantly, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that courts also have the power to reinstate Warren, who was independently elected by Hillsborough County voters.
The case now heads back to the trial court where there will hopefully be a hearing soon to return Warren to the office to which he was voted. The case could also help the effort to overturn DeSantis anti-democratic suspension of our own independently elected state attorney: Orange-Osceola County State Attorney Monique Worrell. Read more about the development in the Warren case here: Ousted State Attorney Andrew Warren, who won appeal, wants case sped up (Tampa Bay Times)
Senate committee approves some bad environmental bills
Unfortunately, we’re already seeing some troubling environmental bills moving forward this session.
The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 5-2 to pass Senate Bill 632, which could give people legal immunity to shoot black bears.
The same committee also voted 5-2 to pass Senate Bill 738, which would make it much more difficult for grassroots groups to challenge the DeSantis administration if it fails to faithfully enforce environmental-protection laws.
But shoutout to Ryan Smart of the Florida Springs Council for some amazing testimony against that bill!
Police unions lobby to weaken oversight of police misconduct
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted 14-3 to pass House Bill 601, which would make it more difficult for local communities to hold misbehaving police officers accountable.
The bill, which is being pushed by lobbyists for police unions, would prohibit cities and counties from independently investigating allegations of brutality or other abuses against police officers. It would also abolish all local Civilian Review Board.
The same committee also voted 15-3 to pass House Bill 549, which would allow courts to impose much longer prison sentences on non-violent shoplifters, even if they steal nothing more than a few candy bars. This bill is being pushed by lobbyists for big-box stores like Walmart and Home Depot.
Meanwhile, the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee voted 10-4 to pass House Bill 531, which would increase incarceration for people who commit a crime outside the county in which they live.
Senate passes public school ‘deregulation’
The Florida Senate unanimously passed a school “deregulation” package.
The trio of bills – Senate Bill 7000, Senate Bill 7002, and Senate Bill 7004 – would make many changes, including eliminating a requirement that students pass a tenth-grade English-language arts exam and an algebra exam in order to graduate.
But the Senate removed a provision that would have eliminated the requirement that third-graders pass an English-language arts exam before they can move on to the fourth grade.
Read more about the package here: Florida Senate passes scaled-back school ‘deregulation’ plan (CBS)
Senate sets up healthcare bills for final vote
While the Florida Senate refuses to even consider expanding Medicaid, the chamber is moving forward on a big healthcare package that tries to increase the number of medical providers in the state and steer more patients away from hospital emergency rooms.
The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee unanimously passed two bills that together make up what the Senate is calling its “Live Healthy” plan: Senate Bill 7016 and Senate Bill 7018.
This bills do some genuinely good things…it’s just too bad that they also leave nearly 1 million Floridians behind for no other reason than partisan politics.
You can read more about the Senate’s healthcare plan here: Florida Senate in position to pass sweeping health care bill (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
The Week in Pics
Let’s end this week’s update with a few photos from events both in Tallahassee and back home in the district, including photos from both the Orlando and Eatonville MLK Walks!
