Legislative Weekly – 2018 Week Two
Tallahassee, FL – Executive Director Andrea Messina provides updates and insight to last week (Week 2) of Florida’s Legislative Session and meetings of the Constitution Revision Commission.
FSBA Session Spotlight — January 21, 2018
This will be a busy week with several bills of interest under consideration throughout the week, release of budget proposals from the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Tuesday and Wednesday, and meetings of the Constitution Revision Commission Committees scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Please click on the link below for the…
Lawmakers to Grapple With State Budget and Other Issues
Florida legislators are heading into the third week of their 60-day session where they are ready to start grappling with a state budget that will exceed $80 billion. While passing the budget is the only obligation the Florida Legislature has each year, there are dozens of other bills being considered ranging from a duck license…
Proposal to end Florida school board member pay voted down in Constitution Revision Commission committee, again
For a second time, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission education committee has killed a proposal to end school board member salaries. Committee members in the majority argued that the change could eliminate the diversity of people able to serve, particularly in poor and rural counties. Memorializing such a move in the constitution would limit the state’s…
Panel weighs ban on support for religious groups
Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero on Friday urged a Constitution Revision Commission panel to repeal a constitutional ban on state support for religious groups. Cantero told the commission’s Education Committee that the so-called “no-aid” provision in the Florida Constitution is unnecessary and would likely be held unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court based…
FSBA Session Spotlight — January 19, 2018
The Constitution Revision Commission Education Committee met this afternoon to consider several important education-related proposals to amend the Florida Constitution, including, among others, proposals relating to school board member salaries, charter school authorizers, and the prohibition against using public revenues in aid of religious entities. As a result of a new procedure for managing the…
FSBA Session Spotlight — January 18, 2018
Several bills of interest will be considered today including, among others, visitation of schools by legislators, the McKay Scholarship Program, and tax referenda. Please click on the link below to access our report on the outcome of the consideration of these bill and others that were considered today. Tomorrow, there are no legislative committee meetings…
Schools of Hope moves forward to allow charters near struggling district schools
The Florida Board of Education unanimously approved a rule on Wednesday opening the door for private nonprofits to apply to receive millions in state funding to operate charter schools near low-performing public schools, called “Schools of Hope.” The rule establishes a process for a nonprofit group to become an operator of the charter schools. Read More Read the…
FSBA Session Spotlight — January 17, 2018
Several bills of interest will be considered today including, most notably, HJR 1031 relating to term limits for school board members and HB 1279 relating to school district accountability. Please click on the link below to access our report on the outcome of the consideration of these bill and others that were considered today. Tomorrow,…
Florida House advances proposal to limit school board member terms
Term limits for Florida’s school board members, already a controversial proposal before the Constitution Revision Commission, surfaced in the Florida House PreK-12 Quality subcommittee on Wednesday. The measure, also a proposed constitutional amendment, came into play because “it may not pass the CRC,” said sponsor Rep. Jason Fischer, a former Duval County board member. Read More