March 7, 2023
The 125th Session of the Florida Legislature is Officially Underway
Tuesday, March 7, 2023, marked the start of the 125th Regular Legislative Session. The bill filing deadline was 12 noon and over 1,700 bills have been filed thus far. Technically, the only thing that the Legislature must do is pass a balanced budget, but history has shown us that the next two months will be filled with much bill drafting, amendments and more as our state’s 160 elected leaders publicly debate the finer points of policy issues far beyond just the budget. Committees still have ample opportunity to file bills and the amendment process occurs right up to the very end. So, while the 60-day count down has officially begun, we have a long way to go.
During the opening session, Governor DeSantis gave his annual State of the State Address. Both House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo outlined their 2023 legislative priorities in speeches as well. 
As we look toward “sine die” on Friday, May 5, we will send updates on the status of bills we are tracking and watching that could impact the out-of-school time sector as a whole (see below), as well as a keen eye on the appropriations process since many of our partners have individual line items to support their local work.
Bills we are actively tracking:
  • HB249 (Trabulsy)/SB676 (Grall): Background Screening: These bills revise level 2 background screening requirements for certain persons who have access to children. Additional provisions include requiring the Care Provider Screening Clearing House to allow the results of certain screenings after a certain date to be shared among specified agencies and qualified entities; revising requirements for independent sanctioning authorities to participate in specified background screening system; and expanding agencies and entities which may utilize the Criminal Justice Information Program for fingerprint searches. 
  • HB249 is scheduled to be heard in its first committee of reference on Wednesday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. Learn more. 
 
  • HB1021 (McFarland)/SB990 (Grall): Child Care and Early Learning Providers: These bills revise provisions relating to taxes for preschools and child care providers, licensing, training requirements, screenings, timeframes, insurance, & regulation. 
  • Neither bill is currently scheduled for a hearing. 

  • HB447 (Altman): Child Care Facilities Exempt from Licensing: This bill exempts child care facility licensed by branch of United States Department of Defense or United States Coast Guard from certain state licensing requirements. 
  • This bill is not currently scheduled for a hearing. 
Bills we are watching:
  • HB1 (Tuck)/SB202 (Simon): School Choice: These bills revise provisions relating to the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, obligations of eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations, and part-time enrollment in public schools. The Senate version contains additional provisions that require the State Board of Education to provide recommendations by a specified date to the Governor and the Legislature for repeals and revisions of the Florida Early Learning-20 Education Code to be considered in the 2024 legislative session; authorizes vehicles other than buses to transport students, and permits district school boards to use advanced degrees in setting salary schedules for instructional personnel or school administrators. 
  • HB1 is scheduled to be heard in its third and final committee of reference on Wednesday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. Learn more. Read the full staff analysis here. 
  • SB202 is scheduled to be heard in its second committee of reference on Wednesday, March 8, at 11:00 a.m. Learn more. Read the full staff analysis here.
  • HB465 (Esposito)/SB630 (Grall): Workforce Education: These bills increase the amount the Department of Education may reimburse institutions through the Open Door Grant Program for completed workforce training program. The House version also requires the Commissioner of Education to approve or disapprove final Master Credential List and the Credentials Review Committee to submit new list to Commissioner within specified timeframe.
  • Neither bill is currently scheduled for a hearing. 
  • HB379 (Yeager)/SB52 (Burgess): Student use of Social Media: These bills require public schools to provide instruction on social media safety that includes age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate instruction for students in grades 6-12, and focus on the social, emotional, and physical effects of social media and promote best practices in digital citizenship. The bills further require each school district to prohibit students from accessing social media platforms through use of internet access provided by school district.
  • SB52 passed its first committee of reference and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education. Read the full staff analysis here. 
Announcements
We hope that you will make plans to join us for Children’s Week and consider bringing some of the youth you serve to the first-ever Teen Thursday on Match 30 (details here). 
We have a long 60-days ahead of us, however, our team has been working hard with our partners during the off-season/legislative committee weeks to shine a light on the great work after school programs across this great state are having on the lives of children, youth and families. We encourage you to stay connected during this period as we bring you updates and calls to action.