Legislative Update - April 28, 2023

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo announced on Wednesday that she expects the budget process will be complete by Saturday setting the stage for session ending on time.  Her hope is to have budgets on the legislators’ desk Monday evening or Tuesday morning, at the latest, so that the 72-hour cooling off period can begin.  Session is scheduled to end on May 5.

The Florida House on Thursday unanimously approved a wide-ranging $1.38 billion tax package that would include savings for shoppers and businesses, as leaders work out differences with the Senate.

The House bill (HB 7063) would offer shoppers a series of expanded sales-tax “holidays” on back-to-school items, hurricane-preparedness supplies, summer activities and tool purchases. As an example, the state would offer two back-to-school holidays, after offering one in the past.

Legislature …

“$1.2 billion tax package sails through Senate Appropriations” via Brian Burgess of The Capitolist — The Florida Legislature appears to be on the verge of approving a substantial $1.2 billion tax package, which would grant both permanent and temporary tax relief to the state’s residents. Senate Bill 7062 encompasses DeSantis’ tax cut proposals, which could lead to over $3 billion in tax savings for Floridians if signed into law. The bill includes ongoing sales tax exemptions for items such as diapers and incontinence products, clothing, baby and toddler products, learning aids, oral hygiene products, firearm safety devices, and equipment used in natural gas production.

Budget Talks Progressing, Most Remaining Issues to Chairs - Most of the budget negotiations between the House and Senate conference committees concluded on Thursday. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said Thursday that the process was the smoothest it has been in years. The chairs of the House and Senate appropriations committees will now take over the remaining discrepancies in the budget. The final budget would have to be published early next week if the Legislature is to end on time. A state law requires a 72-hour "cooling off" period before lawmakers can vote on the budget. The regular session is expected to adjourn on Friday, May 5.  

“Bills cracking down on illegal immigration headed to the floors of both chambers” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — An immigration reform measure that would crack down on hiring immigrants in the U.S. illegally and require hospitals to collect data on patients’ immigration status when they seek health care is moving to the full Senate floor. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s bill (SB 1718) has DeSantis’ backing and earned a nod from the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee at its final Committee stop Wednesday. Ingoglia said the time has come for states to take matters in their own hands because the feds had failed to solve the crisis of undocumented immigrants coming in through the country’s southern border.

House Wage Bill Would Preempt New Local Living Wage Laws - Proposed legislation dealing with wage and employment benefits (HB 917) has drawn extensive attention because it would allow Major League Baseball to exempt minor league players from the state's minimum wage law. But the House bill is also being criticized by worker advocates because it would preempt local "living wage laws," which have been passed in some places over the last couple of decades to set higher wage requirements for companies that do business with a city or other local government. The House bill, expected to be heard on the floor on Friday, was amended earlier this week to grandfather in existing living wage ordinances so workers at vendor companies in those communities wouldn't see paycuts. One local government with such a law is Miami-Dade County, where a local ordinance applies to companies with contracts with the county of at least $100,000, requiring them to pay at least $15.03 per hour with health benefits, or more without healthcare. The law covers nearly 30,000 workers. A Senate bill that includes the provision related to baseball player wages (SB 892) doesn't include the preemption on living wage ordinances. It's scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor on Thursday. Tampa Bay Times-Miami Herald

BATHROOM BILL: A Florida Senate committee OK’d requiring transgender men and women to use restrooms that line up with their sex at birth as protesters marched to the Capitol to speak out against bills targeting the LGBTQ community.

Senate Passes Election Bill, Includes Resign to Run Change for DeSantis - The Senate on Wednesday passed a multifaceted election law bill aimed at tweaking some of the details related to voter registration and the process of elections, issues overshadowed somewhat by a provision in the bill that will make clear that Gov. Ron DeSantis can continue to serve as governor while running for president rather than having to resign to run. Democrats said Republicans were trying to allow DeSantis to shirk his responsibilities as governor while running for president – and that politicians shouldn't be able to both serve in a local office while running for a national one that takes them away from their constituents. They noted that DeSantis didn't go to Fort Lauderdale recently after major flooding because he was in Ohio giving speeches. "He shouldn’t be able to be politically married but continue to date," said Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo. The resign to run provision was only one part of a much broader bill (SB 7050) making a number of changes to election law, including the imposition of large fines for voter registration groups that fail to submit registration applications in time, new requirements for additional information to be included on voter registration cards, and clarifications of situations in which provisional ballots must be cast. The bill was sent to the House and is now on the special order calendar for Friday in that chamber. Politico / Orlando Sentinel 

Public Sector Union Bill Going to Gov After Passing House - Some public employee union members could find it more difficult to pay their dues, banned from having automatic payroll deductions, under legislation passed by the House Wednesday. The bill (SB 256) would also require the union to maintain a membership of 60% or risk losing certification to bargain for employees. Currently, unions are only required to have a membership of at least 50%. Additionally, the bill allows members to leave the union at any time. The measure would affect teachers and health care workers, among other public sector union members, but not law enforcement workers or firefighters. It passed on a 72-44 vote, with some Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. The proposal now heads to the governor's desk. The bill passed the Senate last month. Florida Politics / USA Today Network

Governor …

Disney Sues DeSantis Over 'Antibusiness Retaliation' - Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sued Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, saying the governor is on a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" against the company that is unconstitutional. The entertainment giant also sued the governor's hand-picked oversight board that replaced the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board that had provided services to Disney before the governor and Legislature replaced it. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Tallahassee minutes after [wdwnt.com/2023/04/desantis-board-vote-to-void-disneys-final-agreement-with-reedy-creek-improvement-district/]the new board named by DeSantis voted to nullify agreements Disney reached with the former board just before it was abolished. The governor sought to take over the local special taxing district after the former Disney CEO criticized legislation pushed by DeSantis that banned classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in early elementary-school grades. "This government action was patently retaliatory, patently antibusiness, and patently unconstitutional,” the complaint reads. "But the Governor and his allies have made clear they do not care and will not stop." Associated Press / Reuters / Orlando Sentinel / Politico / Axios / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / Forbes / Variety / CNN / CNBC / NPR / Fox Business / Walt Disney World News Today

DeSantis: Disney Lawsuit is 'Political' - Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that a lawsuit filed against him by the Disney company is meritless and political. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sued DeSantis on Wednesday, saying the governor is on a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" against the company since its former CEO spoke out against a bill backed by the governor last year that banned classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in early elementary-school grades. The governor abolished a local governing board for a district that provided services to the park and replaced it with his own board. But just before the change went into effect, Disney worked out an agreement with the old board that would insulate it from some changes. DeSantis has also pushed legislation to increase regulations on the park. Associated Press / Orlando Sentinel / ABC News

Governor DeSantis is on an international trade mission to four countries. The governor, his wife Casey and an entourage of state officials and staff plan to visit Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom. Business recruitment and investment no doubt will be on the agenda. 

“Florida has the 15th largest economy in the world, and that is because our state has worked to create partnerships with other countries,” the governor said in a statement last week. “This trade mission will give us the opportunity to strengthen economic relationships and continue to demonstrate Florida’s position as an economic leader.”

The trip – happening in the homestretch of this year’s legislative session – is also an opportunity to score foreign affairs points after setbacks last week to his yet-to-be-declared White House run, including a string of congressional endorsements going to Donald Trump. Rick Wilson, the longtime GOP political consultant who penned “Everything Trump Touches Dies” and no DeSantis fan himself, gave another hint what the governor is up against. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed possible exchanges between Korean companies and Florida counterparts in a visit to South Korea this week.The governor is currently on an international trade mission organized by Enterprise Florida, which state lawmakers are actively seeking to defund. DeSantis and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo discussed potential opportunities for collaboration in various industries, such as trade, technology and education. Reuters / Associated Press / Forbes / Florida Politics / DeSantis Press Release

During a trade trip to Japan this week Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed new direct flight possibilities with executives from Japanese airlines. DeSantis Press Release

DeSantis Signs Bill Combating Anti-Semitism While in Jerusalem - Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Thursday aimed at fighting anti-semitism while in Israel on an international trade mission. The legislation (HB 269) would provide stronger penalties for hate acts against Jewish people. The bill would make it a crime to put leaflets or other materials on private property with the purpose of intimidating or threatening people, with felony charges possible for credible threats. The measure also creates a new misdemeanor crime of displaying or projecting any images onto a building, structure, or other property without written consent from the owner. The move to strengthen penalties against antisemitic displays comes after reports of multiple incidents of vandalism and hateful messaging around Florida. Antisemitic incidents, including assault, harassment and vandalism, reached a new high across the U.S. in 2021, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The proposal passed both chambers unanimously this month, with nearly all House members signing on to cosponsor the legislation. The governor signed the bill and gave a keynote speech at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, emphasizing his longstanding support for the US-Israel alliance and policies that benefit Israel and the Jewish people. The new state law takes effect immediately. Jerusalem Post / Florida Politics / Jewish Journal / NBC News / DeSantis Press Release / LobbyTools Governor's Activity

Rare legislative loss for DeSantis: A bill designed to upend federal defamation law and make it easier to sue critics and news media appears dead for the legislative session, its sponsor said. It faced opposition from free speech advocates, including conservative media.

Business …

“Gas prices shoot up across Florida, setting a new high for 2023, thanks to flooding” via Kevin Derby of Florida Daily — AAA released a report showing gas prices have reached a 2023 high in recent days. The average gallon of gas in Florida cost $3.71 on Sunday, up from $3.56 at the start of last week and above the national average of $3.70 a gallon. AAA pointed to recent floods in South Florida which “caused widespread gasoline outages, necessitating the reallocation of fuel supplies from other regions” and offered some details on how it happened.

Jobless claims dip in Florida - First-time unemployment claims dipped last week in Florida, with the average weekly total remaining below 6,000 claims. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday issued a report that estimated 4,881 new unemployment claims were filed last week in the state, down from a revised count of 5,535 during the week that ended April 15. Over the past four weeks, the state has averaged 5,448 claims. More from the News Service of Florida.

The new oversight board for the local services to Walt Disney World, now called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors, voted on Wednesday in favor of a ban on future COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandates at Walt Disney World, as part of the gubernatorial-appointed board's effort to assert more control over Disney. Walt Disney World News Today

Elections …

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida Voting Law - A Florida voting law that tightened rules for mail-in ballots and drop boxes shows no evidence that lawmakers deliberately targeted minority voters, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. A lower federal court judge had struck down the law last year ruling that the law was discriminatory and made it harder for Black voters to cast ballots. But a three judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 split decision that evidence did not show that lawmakers deliberately targeted Black voters. The ruling came in a challenge to the law called League of Women Voters of Florida vs. Florida Secretary of State et. al. In addition to changing rules around mailing and dropping off ballots, the law prohibits people from giving snacks and drinks to people in line to vote. The two appeals court judges who were in the majority ruling for Florida were both nominated by Republican presidents, and the dissenting judge was nominated by a Democratic president. Politico / Associated Press / Law360 / 11th Circuit Ruling

DeSantis’ former colleagues endorse Trump: There are now 11 of the 20 members of Florida’s GOP congressional delegation backing Trump over DeSantis. Eight have yet to announce an endorsement and only one, former DeSantis Secretary of State Laurel Lee, has put her support behind the governor.

Photo op: All 11 joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach on Thursday night for a dinner and photo opportunity in the opulent dining room. Included in the gathering was U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a St. Augustine Beach Republican, who holds the seat DeSantis once held, as well as state Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota, the former head of the Republican Party of Florida.