Week 6: April 10-April 16

OVERVIEW:

• FEA 2023 Legislative Session Weekly Overview
• FEA Bill Watchlist
• Watch sessions via The Florida Channel

BILLS TO WATCH:

HB 999/SB 266 “Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions”

• No movement on HB 999 remains stalled in committee.
• SB 266 was passed in the Appropriations Committee on Education on 4/12 with 8 yeas and 4 nays. In the vote, the bill was amended which changed various features related to diversity, hiring, and tenure. SB 266 will next be heard in the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee.

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

• HB 1445 passed its last committee stop this week and will likely be on the House floor in Week 7 and signed shortly thereafter.
• SB 256 passed in the Senate and is now awaiting to be heard in the House for review. It is expected to also pass in the House for signage by the Governor in mid-April.

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

• Contact the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee and ask them to vote NO on SB 266 HERE
• 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 the House Education and Employment Committee and ask them to vote NO on HB 999 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
• Switch over to eDues! In the next few weeks all UFF members will receive an email invitation to join eDues from centralmembershipsystems[at]floridaea.org. See how to do it HERE
• Attend Zoom eDues Office Hours every Monday from 11am-1pm HERE
• Sign up for the ongoing UFF Fight Back Friday town hall events from 3-4pm. Register for the Zoom link HERE.
• 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