FSBA Legislative Update Week of January 12-16, 2026 | Session Week 1
Reminder: Committee meetings and floor sessions are recorded and available via the Florida Channel. Please go to https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/ to find past meetings, sessions, and press coverage of the legislative session.
As you might imagine, there are hundreds of bills that FSBA is monitoring on your behalf, and these weekly updates will not cover every single one. To see the bills we are keeping an eye on, please see the tracker here, prepared by Dr. Kim McDougal and the Arrow Group. If you have questions about the inclusion or non-inclusion of any bill, please don’t hesitate to call Joe McGehee, Director of Advocacy and Legislative Services, at 850-933-1103. In addition to the bill tracker, here is the Weekly Education Report, the Education K-12 Calendar, a Summary of Property Tax Bills, and a Press Release about SB 318, which is discussed in more depth below. It’s all great stuff, and we highly recommend that you read it all.
The 2026 Florida Legislative Session officially convened this week with the opening of both chambers on Tuesday, January 14. Committees began meeting immediately, and both the House and Senate moved forward with several education-related bills. Of particular note, the Senate passed a major education scholarship bill on the floor, marking one of the earliest significant floor votes of the session. This bill (SB 318) directly relates to one of our legislative platform items.
Major Legislative Action This Week:
SB 318 (Educational Scholarship Programs) by Senator Gaetz passed the full Senate on Wednesday, January 14, with a 38-0 vote, demonstrating strong bipartisan support for the measure. The bill expands and streamlines Florida’s educational scholarship programs by consolidating funding sources, revising eligibility criteria, and strengthening oversight requirements. Notably, SB 318 includes provisions to stabilize school district finances by authorizing the Department of Education to distribute funds to districts if FEFP allocations are insufficient and permitting supplemental payments without affecting future funding calculations. The Senate adopted three floor amendments before passage, including measures to ensure additional funding for the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program if enrollment exceeds budgeted amounts, and stricter documentation requirements for students enrolling in nonpublic scholarship programs. The bill now heads to the House for consideration.
SB 1620 (Public Education) by Senator Leek was filed this week and addresses several governance and transparency issues affecting district school boards. The bill would grant school board members specific rights, require boards to approve additional attorneys employed by districts, mandate training for school officers, require full line-item budget posting on district websites, and prohibit districts from requiring or incentivizing employees to sign nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements. FSBA’s Legislative Subcommittee is currently reviewing this legislation and has requested that committee members provide their thoughts and impressions on the bill’s potential impacts on school district operations and governance. If you have read this bill and have thoughts, please don’t hesitate to contact Joe McGee at 850-933-1103.
Additional Bills Advancing:
HB 129/SB 124 (Florida Virtual School) – HB 129 passed the House PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee (13-0) on January 13. The bill removes priority admissions requirements for FLVS, revises board powers and reporting obligations, and expands funding opportunities through supplemental revenue sources, including direct-support organizations.
SB 206 (Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder) by Senator Harrell passed the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee (6-0) on January 13. The bill requires completion of autism micro-credentials for certain educators, provides expanded incentives for teachers of students with autism, and creates the Autism Educator Loan Forgiveness Program.
Additional Updates:
The Governor recently spoke about the Schools of Hope expansion. Please find the article here.
Thank you for your service. We look forward to working on your behalf this legislative session.
