The Legislature adjourned the 2017 Legislative Session, sine die, shortly before 9:00 pm this evening having passed each of the budget Conference Reports and tax cut package. As expected, HB 7069 was the only education related Conference Report that generated significant debate, particularly in the Senate. The bill passed the House by an essentially party line vote of 74 yeas to 35 nays, but it was a much closer call in the Senate where it narrowly passed on a vote of 20 yeas to 18 nays, with three Republicans joining Democrats to vote against the bill. Although we are disappointed with the outcome, several legislators stated that they had been contacted by school board members, superintendents, parents, and others who expressed concerns about the bill, so your advocacy DID have an impact. We urge you to contact each member of the House and Senate who voted against HB 7069 and thank them for their vote – you may access the list of Representatives HERE and the list of Senators HERE.
As a reference, here is the list of education related Conference Reports that passed today:
- SB 2500 – General Appropriations Act
- SB 2502 – Implementing the General Appropriations Act
- SB 7022 – State Administered Retirement Systems
- HB 7069 – Omnibus PreK-12 Education Appropriations Conforming Bill
- SB 374 – Higher Education Appropriations Conforming Bill
We have begun work on our annual FSBA Legislative Session Summary that will provide a comprehensive analysis of the education portions of the state budget and detailed summaries of the education related bills that passed during the session. We are also in the process of scheduling our popular on-site and on-line Legislative Review Workshops and Webinars and will notify you when the schedule and other details are finalized. In addition, in our next issue of the Session Spotlight, we will provide you with a preliminary list of the education related bills that passed during this legislative session as well as a list of some of the bills that DID NOT pass.
