FSBA Legislative Update Week of March 9-13, 2026 | Session Week 9
As of last Friday, we are at a wrap on the 2026 Regular Session, but we are far from through with legislative happenings. On Thursday afternoon, Senate President Ben Albritton addressed his colleagues on the floor to share where things stand on the budget and what comes next. His message was straightforward: the Senate will adjourn Sine Die jointly with the House, and both chambers will return to Tallahassee for a Special Session on the Budget in mid-April, following the Easter and Passover holidays. The traditional Hankie Drop Ceremony will be saved for that special session, which has not yet been given a formal date. President Albritton noted that while members are home in their districts, he and Appropriations Chair Hooper will continue working with House partners to reach an agreement on joint allocations for the budget conference. Senators will not need to return to Tallahassee until those joint allocations are reached. He framed the overall budget posture around affordability and fiscal restraint — holding the line on spending, paying down debt, and saving for the future. What does that mean for education funding? Honestly, we don’t know yet — and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. What we do know is that the budget remains unfinished, the special session timeline is tied to progress on joint allocations, and we will be at the table advocating for Florida’s students and school districts every step of the way. We’ll keep you updated as dates and details emerge.
On the policy front, Week 9 was as busy as ever. Eighteen K-12 education bills are now enrolled and awaiting the Governor’s signature, and as you know from last session, nothing is off the table until the hankies drop. Here are your “at-a-glance” bills of importance:
- HB 145 — Claims Against the Government (Enrolled) This bill increases the statutory liability caps for tort claims against governmental entities (for the first time in 15 years) — the state and its agencies or subdivisions are not liable to pay more than 350,000 for any one person’s claim or judgment, or more than 500,000 in total for all claims or judgments arising from the same incident or occurrence. It also streamlines claim procedures and adjusts statutes of limitation. Your district’s legal counsel and risk management teams will want to review the new limits carefully, along with other provisions in the bill. There are mixed perspectives on whether or not this will be vetoed by the Governor.
- HB 757 — School Safety (Enrolled) Passed the Senate 26-10 and is now enrolled. This bill expands the school guardian program, creates a new criminal offense for discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, and updates security funding and record-sharing guidelines across K-12 and postsecondary institutions. If your district participates in or is considering the guardian program, this has direct operational implications.
- SB 1296 — Public Employees Relations Commission (Passed House 73-37) This one cleared the House with a more partisan vote than most bills this week — 73 to 37. It makes significant changes to the public employee collective bargaining process, including modifications to union recertification thresholds, membership dues deductions, and the procedures for resolving disputes. This will directly impact your district’s labor relations environment, and we’ll have more analyses coming on this one.
- SB 182 — School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program (Passed House 110-0) This one passed unanimously and establishes a new statewide teacher training and mentoring program aimed at improving teacher effectiveness. Expect implementation guidance from DOE via rulemaking, and start thinking about how this intersects with your existing new teacher support structures.
- HB 1071 / SB 7036 — Education Omnibus Bills (Still in Play) Both of these sweeping omnibus bills were retained on the Special Order Calendar as the session closed, with HB 1071 showing no floor action as of the final day. These bills cover an enormous range of issues — charter schools, instructional materials, educator certification, parental rights, school choice, and more. The fact that neither crossed the finish line during regular session means they could resurface during the budget special session or next year. We are monitoring this closely and will have a full breakdown ready if and when movement occurs.
- HB 561 (Enrolled) — Educator Preparation and Certification. Updates Florida’s educator preparation and certification laws by expanding options for temporary certificates, easing reinstatement and renewal for lapsed professional certificates, and revising responsibilities and requirements for the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence to better support teacher preparation and ongoing professional development.
Here you will find Dr. McDougal’s Bill Report, Weekly Report, Property Tax summary, and transcribed remarks from President Albritton. Additionally, you may find recordings of the committee meetings and floor sessions here. While this is the end of my first regular session with you all, it is far from the end of our vigilance on the Legislature. It’s been a privilege to work with you all so far. As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you just feel the need to discuss how these proposed changes may impact your district, please do not hesitate to text, email, or call anytime.
Joe McGehee, Director of Advocacy and Legislative Services
850-933-1103 | mcgehee@fsba.org
