FSBA LEGISLATIVE VIDEO UPDATE #9
Our Final Video Update for the 2015 Legislative Session has been posted on the FSBA website at www.fsba.org – you may access the video by clicking on the link to 2015 Legislative Session Video Update 9 under “Legislative Session Updates” (located below the pictures on our main page) or by using this direct link: http://www.fsba.org/2015-
UPDATE ON THE EARLY ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE
Last week we reported that the Senate Democratic Caucus filed an emergency petition with the Florida Supreme Court alleging that the House of Representatives violated the state Constitution when it adjourned without the agreement of the Senate. The petition sought a Writ of Mandamus to force the House to work on pending legislation. On Friday evening, the Supreme Court denied the petition for a Writ of Mandamus, indicating that forcing the House to return when only hours remained before the close of the Session would prove unavailing and would not produce beneficial results. However, 5 of the 7 justices agreed that, by adjourning early, the House violated the requirements of the Florida Constitution.
DAILY UPDATES WILL RESUME DURING THE SPECIAL SESSION
This will be our last DAILY Update for the time being. Over the next few weeks, we will provide periodic Updates, as needed, to report on the timing for the Special Session, provide a schedule for videos and/or webinars on the legislation that passed during the regular session, and share other relevant information. We will resume providing Daily Updates when the Special Session convenes.
Meanwhile, last week we provided a list of the education related bills that DID pass during the Session. Today, we provide a short list of the major bills that DID NOT PASS:
HB 19 / SB 180 – School Safety / Armed Personnel on School Grounds
HB 181 / SB 448 – Educational Facilities / SREF Flexibility
HB 357 / SB 952 – Principal Autonomy Pilot Program
HB 549 / SB 1114 – Associations of Government Officials
SB 602 / HB 7095 – Students With Disabilities / Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts
HB 665 / SB 818 – Maximum Class Size / Penalty Calculation
HB 1063 / SB 1372 – Government Accountability
HB 1145 / SB 1552 – Education / Parent and Student Rights
SB 1264 – Digital Classrooms by Legg
SB 1480 / HB 7137 – Student Extracurricular Activities
SB 7006 / HB 7017 – Early Learning
HB 7037 – Charter Schools by Choice & Innovation
HB 7043 – Standard Student Attire by K-12
HB 7141 – Taxation by Finance & Tax (House Tax Cut Package)
Some of these bills would have provided welcome improvements to current education policy while others would not be as welcome. In either case, it is likely that most, if not all, of these bills will be filed again in a future Session. Therefore, we encourage you to become familiar with the provisions of these bills and how they might be harmful or beneficial in your school district. We hope you will share your thoughts about these bills with your legislators and with FSBA staff.
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org