SPECIAL SESSION UPDATE
Governor Scott issued a press release stating, among other things, his intention to establish a Commission on Healthcare and Hospital Funding charged with examining health care issues and gathering information that could inform the building of a budget before July 1. In addition, the Governor stated that he would immediately begin working with the House and the Senate on a budget that would continue funding for critical Florida programs. Also, in a letter sent today to House Speaker Crisafulli, Senate President Gardiner proposed calling for the Special Session to convene June 1 and end no later than June 20. President Gardiner stated that this schedule would allow sufficient time for the federal government to provide clear guidance regarding continued federal funding for the Low Income Pool and related matters. As of this writing, Speaker Crisafulli has not responded to President Gardiner’s proposal. We will keep you informed of any further developments as the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker pursue negotiations on scheduling the Special Session.
UPDATE ON THE EARLY ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE
In the latest action in the disagreement over the early adjournment of the House, this afternoon the Senate Democratic Caucus filed an emergency petition for a Writ of Mandamus with the Florida Supreme Court asking the Justices to deliver an expedited ruling on whether the House of Representatives violated the state Constitution earlier this week by its motion to unilaterally adjourn, sine die, without prior notice. The Supreme Court has responded with an order for the House to respond to the petition by 10:00 am tomorrow. Speaker Crisafulli has indicated that he will respond to the petition, but stated that he has no plans to ask House members to return to Tallahassee at this time. We will let you know the outcome of this court action. [NOTE: A Writ of Mandamus is an order from a court to a government official ordering the government official to properly fulfill their official duties.]
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
As we anticipated, the Senate did not convene to conduct business today, so no action was taken on the bills that had been posted on the agenda and it appears unlikely that the Senate will convene tomorrow unless the Florida Supreme Court issues a ruling ordering the House to reconvene. We will keep you posted. In the meantime, we have compiled a preliminary list of education related bills that were passed thus far. Many of these bills have only modest or tangential provisions relating to school districts. The list below represents the more substantial legislation. We are working on detailed summaries of these bills and will provide them to you as soon as possible.
HB 41 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Metz
HB 133 – Sexual Offences by Plasencia
HB 153 – Literacy Jump Start Pilot Project by L. Lee
SB 290 – Concealed Weapon / Evacuations by Brandes
SB 378 – Juvenile Justice Civil Citations by Garcia
HB 361 – Military Housing Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions by Trumbull
HB 383 – Private Property Rights by Edwards
HB 461 – Independent Higher Educational Facilities by Sullivan
SB 538 – Sexual Cyberharassment by Simmons
HB 541 – Athletic Trainers by Plasencia
HB 565 – Retirement / Senior Management Service Class by Beshears
SB 642 – Individuals with Disabilities / Florida ABLE Program by Benacquisto (also linked bills SB 644 & SB 646)
SB 778 – Local Government Construction Preferences by Hays
SB 954 – Involuntary Examinations of Minors by Garcia
SB 982 – Florida Civil Rights Act by Thompson
SB 984 – Exemption / Legislative Lobbying Requirements by Braynon
HB 1253 – School District of Palm Beach County by Rooney
HB 7019 – Workforce Services by Economic Development
SB 7024 – State Board of Administration by Government Oversight
SB 7028 – Out-of-State Fee Waivers / Veterans by Military & Veteran Affairs
HB 7069 – Education Accountability by Education
SB 7078 – Child Welfare by Children, Families & Elder Affairs
COMING UP TOMORROW
Unless there is important news to report regarding the Special Session or other legislative or judicial actions, we will not be issuing a Daily Update tomorrow. Our next Daily Update, along with our last Weekly Video Update, will be issued on Monday.
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org
