2023 Legislative Session, Week 4

Week 4: March 27-April 2

OVERVIEW:

BILLS TO WATCH:

HB 999/SB 266 “Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions”

No movement on HB 999 since 3/16. It may be scheduled for Week 6 as Week 5 is short due to Passover and Good Friday.
No movement on SB 266 since 3/21. It, too, may be scheduled for Week 6.

HB 1445/SB 256 “Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees”

HB 1445 has not had any movement since 3/16 but is expected to be scheduled for Week 5 or Week 6, likely depending on the movement of SB 256.
SB 256 passed on the Senate floor in a 23-17 vote on 3/29. It is now being sent to the House for review and is expected to also pass there for signage by the Governor in mid-April.

HB 311/SB 324 “Postsecondary Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity”

HB 311, proposed by Representative Hinson, amends various portions state statute 10001.03 and 1001.706 (2021’s HB 233, which saw the creation of the Viewpoint Diversity Survey”). The bill deletes virtually all of the language from the law, thereby reaffirming intellectual freedom at Florida public colleges and universities. The first reading of HB 311 occurred on 3/7 and has not seen any movement since.
SB 324 is a direct copy of HB 311. SB 324 was introduced to the Senate on 3/7 and has not seen any movement since.

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

Mark your calendar for Monday, April 3rd! UFF will be holding a press conference in Tallahassee with Representative Hinson to draw attention to bills related to academic freedom and graduate fee waivers.
Call 844-937-2517 to participate in AFL-CIO’s campaign to reach all legislators and let them know workers are paying attention to how they vote on union busting bills
Contact members of the House State Affairs Committee and ask them to vote NO on HB 1445 HERE
Locate your House Representative and ask them to vote NO on HB 1445 and HB 999 and YES on HB 311
Locate your Senate Representative and ask them to vote NO on SB 256 and YES on SB 324
Thank the members of the Senate who voted NO on SB 266 with a quick email
Sign up for FEA/UFF Power Hours weekly on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30pm (EST) HERE
Join the Higher Education Regional Outreach (HERO) team for Northeast Florida HERE