The second week of the Legislative Session 2020 has already come to a close as bills are moving through the Florida House and Senate. Gunster’s Government Affairs team is working hard, closely tracking legislation and meeting with legislators to monitor and lobby on behalf of our clients.
Below is a weekly update from Gunster's Government Affairs Consultants with a summary of the issues of the week and how they may impact your business, a recap of bills that are moving through the Legislature and a close look at this week’s happenings around the capital city.
Legislation Watch
- On Wednesday, The Florida House voted to remove the Constitution Revision Commission, a powerful commission with the responsibility of placing constitutional amendments before voters. On a 93-25 vote, the House sent the joint resolution to the Senate. If the Senate also votes to abolish the Commission, it would send the matter to voters in November. The Constitution Revision Commission was established in 1968 and meets once every 20 years to consider measures to put on state voter ballots.
- HB 1059: Parental Rights is legislation that would offer parents more control over issues such as their children’s education and health care. The bill passed its first committee this week and is now in Health and Human Services. Read more here.
- HB 1: Dues and Uniform Assessments would require public employees who want to join a union to sign a membership authorization form and for employers to verify the employee’s intent before any union dues can be collected for membership purposes. It would also require employees to reauthorize membership annually. Read more here.
- Teacher compensation: SB 486 would repeal the Best and Brightest bonus programs for teachers and principals. This bill supports Governor Ron DeSantis’ initiatives to replace the Best and Brightest bonus program with another initiative focusing on teachers and principals working in low-income schools. The Governor is also proposing setting the minimum public teacher’s salary at $47,500, at a cost of $900 million. He said his plan will cover about 100,000 teachers statewide, draw more college students into the profession and help retain current educators.
Broward Days
For over 20 years, Broward Days has taken place in Tallahassee during the Legislative Session. It is comprised of an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan group of people advocating for the diverse needs and concerns of the citizens of Broward County, Florida. Broward Days creates a discussion between Members of the Florida Legislature, the Broward County Board of Commissioners, the Broward League of Cities, the business community, non-profits and community leaders on what issues Broward County is currently facing. Broward Days conducts local workshops, hosts events and discussions with state and local leaders, and coordinates an annual multi-day forum in the state capitol.
As a Gold Sponsor of this year’s Broward Days, Gunster’s Ron Brise attended to engage in the discussion with many notable speakers. Pictured below are Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Nikki Fried and Executive Director of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity, Ken Lawson.
Congratulations to the Broward County Delegation on another successful and productive Broward Days!
For Further Information
- Keep up-to-date with our Legislative Session 2020 Weekly Updates: Subscribe now
- Learn more about our Government Affairs Practice.
