More than 200 bills passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis will go into effect on July 1st. Several of the laws have garnered attention and some have even been at the forefront of lawsuits.
There are big changes in sex education at public schools, immigration and the ability to carry concealed guns, among others.
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DeSantis also signed a bill that was set to be effective July 1 that would limit abortions to six weeks, commonly known as a "Heartbeat Bill."
The state currently allows abortions to be performed for up to 15 weeks. The only exception that applies is if a mother's life is at risk.
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The Heartbeat bill would allow rape, incest, or human trafficking victims up to 15 weeks to receive an abortion, but they would have to provide proof of their victimhood in the form of medical or court records.
The bill is delayed because the original 15-week law is being challenged in the Florida Supreme Court following a class-action lawsuit by Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups. If this law is upheld, the new bill will become effective within 30 days of the court ruling.
Immigration (SB 1718)
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Private companies with over 25 employees will be required to use E-Verify, an online employment verification system, to prove the legal employment eligibility of workers.
Penalties will be applied to employers who knowingly have immigrants without documentation working for them, with the severity dependent on how many undocumented immigrants were employed.
Employers may also be placed on probation for one year.
The bill is intended to curb illegal immigration, but critics argue that this will take a toll on Florida’s economy – especially the construction, agriculture, and hospitality sectors.
Additionally, Florida hospitals that accept Medicaid will be required to document whether or not a patient is a United States citizen, and whether or not the patient is an undocumented immigrant.
However, neither citizenship nor legal status will affect their medical care, and undocumented patients will not be reported to immigration authorities.
Education (“Don’t Say Period”) (HB 1069)
The bill defines “sex” as the classification of a person as either male or female based on the sex characteristics that they are born with, such as chromosomes or naturally occurring hormones.
Teachers will no longer be able to ask students what their preferred pronouns are, nor are they allowed to respect a student’s preferred pronouns if they do not correspond with the student’s biological sex.
HB 1069, dubbed the “Don’t Say Period” bill, also outlaws teaching the menstrual cycle in public K-12 schooling before grade six.
During sex education instruction, teachers must also emphasize abstinence outside of marriage and teach the “benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage.” Sexual orientation and gender identity will not be able to be taught in schools until grade eight.
School libraries will also be affected – they will have to adopt an objection form that allows parents to object to any educational materials deemed pornographic or age-inappropriate.
Interests of foreign countries (SB 264)
Nearly all Chinese citizens and businesses will be prohibited from buying property in Florida.
Additionally, the bill lists six other "countries of concern": Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Russia, Iran and Syria. Foreign investors from these countries will be banned from purchasing agricultural land in Florida, or land within 10 miles of a military infrastructure facility.
If the land or property was purchased prior to July 1, it may be kept.
The bill has instigated a class-action lawsuit against Florida officials by a group of Chinese citizens who argue that this is in violation of their constitutional rights, as well as the Fair Housing Act.
Public Safety ("Permitless Carry") (HB 543)
Floridians will no longer be required to have a government-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Background checks and training courses will also no longer be required to carry a hidden weapon on your person or in your car.
Currently, people must take a training course in firearm safety and properly assessing a threat.
Facility requirements based on sex (HB 1521)
People will be required to use the bathroom corresponding to the sex they were assigned at birth.
The bill applies to bathrooms of public colleges and universities, K-12 schools, correctional facilities and domestic violence centers.
The bill defines females or males as persons belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing eggs or sperm, respectively.
Critics of the bills stress that the new law will be difficult to enforce without violating privacy.
Higher education (SB 266)
Florida colleges and universities will be prohibited from using state and federal funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
DEI offices in colleges and universities, as well as other organizations that hire and recruit, are used to promote diversity in employment and admissions.
SB 266 doesn’t just affect the bursar, though – it steps into the lecture hall too.
General education courses may not teach that "systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege" are embedded in the "institutions" of the U.S., or that these issues were created to maintain inequality. Identity politics and "distortions" of history are banned from the curriculum as well.
Humanities courses will also be required to include selections from the Western canon and include American historical texts like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc. whenever applicable.
The University of Florida will be provided with funding to establish the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education, which will "support teaching and research" concerning Western and American traditions and ideas.
A similar initiative, The Florida Institute for Governance and Civics, will be established at Florida State University.
Enforcement of school bus passing infractions (SB 766)
School districts will have the authorization to place and control cameras on the exteriors of buses to document drivers who illegally drive past the bus while it’s displaying a stop sign.
Consequences will be enforced on those drivers that are caught, resulting in a minimum fine of $200.
The results from a survey conducted by the Florida Department of Education revealed that 7,867 illegal passes were made on a single day based on the 6,416 survey entries from school bus drivers.
Legislative supporters believe that the bill can save lives. State Representative Debbie Mayfield said, “If this [bill] just saves one life, it is worth doing."
Student Online Personal Data Protection Act (SB 662)
Students’ personal information and data gathered through educational technology will be prohibited from usage for targeted advertising.
Data harvested through EdTech cannot be sold to third party companies either.
Furthermore, companies will no longer be able to use students' data for anything that is not educational.
