The Florida Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to shift to holding partisan school board elections. The proposal (HJR 31) will go on the 2024 ballot and, if approved by voters, would do away with a requirement that…
Read More Partisan School Board Elections In Florida Go On Ballot
Instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity will largely be prohibited in all public school grades after the State Board of Education on Wednesday approved a controversial rule change. The rule effectively expands Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, a hot-button measure that passed last…
Read More Board Expands Florida “Parental Rights In Education” Law
A proposal that would require Florida school districts to share local property-tax revenue with charter schools is teed up for consideration by the full House, after a committee debate Monday about whether it could bring “parity.” Property taxes collected through discretionary 1.5-mill local levies go…
Read More Construction Money Could Go To Florida Charter Schools
Florida House members, on Thursday, gave final approval to a bill that would do away with a requirement for unanimous jury recommendations before judges can impose death sentences. The unanimity requirement was put in place by the Legislature in 2017, in response to decisions by…
Read More Florida House Approves Death Penalty Bill, Doing Away With “Unanimous Jury”
A seismic shift in abortion rights could be coming in Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis late Thursday signed a measure to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. But whether the six-week limit goes forward will hinge on a case before the state Supreme Court.…
Read More Florida Abortion Fight Hinges On High Court
A measure designed to carry out parts of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ higher-education agenda moved forward Wednesday in the Senate, after changes that included a proposal to give university presidents ultimate hiring authority at their schools. The Republican-controlled Senate Education Appropriations Committee voted 8-4 along party…
Read More Controversial Higher-Ed Bill Backed In Florida Senate
A Florida House committee on Monday advanced a proposal that would prohibit businesses and government agencies from requiring people to take COVID-19 tests or wear masks to enter their facilities, with the measure’s sponsor calling such mandates “discriminatory practices.” The proposal would build on prohibitions…
Read More Florida House Panel Eyes Prohibitions Against Pandemic ‘Discrimination’
As Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders try to remake New College of Florida, the school is tapping into $15 million from the Legislature to offer $10,000 scholarships to prospective students. A joint legislative panel in February approved steering $15 million to New College…
Read More New College Of Florida Offers Scholarships To Draw Students
At the midpoint of the 60-day legislative session, Republican lawmakers, who have supermajorities in the House and Senate, appear set to keep their foot on the gas as the chambers continue racing through high-profile bills. The House on Friday took a step toward expanding a…
Read More Florida House Approves Expansion Of Parental Rights In Education Law
Florida, long dubbed the “gunshine state,” is one stroke of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pen away from allowing people to carry guns without concealed weapons licenses. The Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a measure (HB 543) that would allow people to carry concealed weapons…
Read More Locked And Loaded: Concealed Carry Gun Law Awaiting Florida Gov. DeSantis Signature