Capitol Connection
2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: WEEK 7
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The 2021 Florida Legislative Session is well underway. These eight weeks move quickly in Tallahassee, and we appreciate your interest in monitoring issues that may impact Florida’s children and families. The Florida Children’s Council hopes that the content provided in this digest and the subsequent issues will help inform your advocacy efforts until session ends (sine die) on April 30th.
Each week the Capitol Connection will provide a brief summary of relative events from the executive and legislative branches. The update will also include information on legislation that has moved that week and provide updates on presentations, press conferences and conversations that may be of interest.
The first column lists the bill number, name and sponsor and provides a hyperlink to the bill's text and history. The numbered circles represent the number of committees of reference for each bill, and the final column provides a brief description of the bill(s). Here is a key to help guide you in your review of where each bill is:
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Voted Favorably By Committee |
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Did Not Pass Committee Vote |
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Temporarily Postponed in Committee |
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Referred to Committee but Not Yet Heard |
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Bill has not yet been referred to committees |
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This week the Senate and House chambers met for Week Seven of the 2021 Legislative Session. At approximately 6:30 pm on Friday, April 16th the House and Senate announced budget allocations and named budget conferees for each committee, setting the stage for the first round of budget conferences. Subsequently, the Appropriations Chairs from both chambers met at 7:30 pm on Friday to officially begin the budget conference process, and we should expect to see the conference committees meeting throughout the weekend. While the conferees have been announced, the Senate President’s office has already indicated that they will be making changes to the members of at least the Conference Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice. Conference committees are authorized to begin meeting Saturday, April 17th at 10:00 am and all unresolved issues will bump to Appropriations Chairs Senator Stargel and Representative Trumbull no later than the close of business on Monday, April 19th. Conference committees have been asked to begin the final meeting each day no later than 8:00 pm.
This week also included substantive legislation from the House that would look at economic self-sufficiency, mental health, police reforms, early learning, and early literacy. The Senate met on several gaming proposals early in the week, but was unable to strike a deal with the Seminole Tribe thus setting up the possibility for a special session. Additionally, news focused on Governor Desantis’ picks to lead his health agencies was published this week, with a hope that their diverse perspectives may encourage a focus on equity as a part of their leadership.
Below are links to news articles published this week that may be of interest to you.
Until next week!
Sincerely,
The Florida Children’s Council
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Economic Self-Sufficiency |
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These comparable bills require the Auditor General to perform audits of specified programs to determine benefits cliffs created by requirements to participate. HB 1349 requires that the University of Florida coordinate with the Office of Early Learning to conduct analysis on certain assistance programs. HB 1349 has been placed on the calendar for 2nd reading.
To read staff analysis of HB 1349, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 414, click here.
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These identical bills titled the "Child Safety Alarm Act" require certain vehicles to be equipped with a reliable alarm system to ensure safety of children being transported to child care facilities, require the Department of Children and Families to adopt by rule minimum safety standards for such systems and to maintain a list of approved alarm manufacturers and alarm systems. HB 1287 has been placed on the calendar for 2nd reading. SB 252 is currently in House Messages.
To read staff analysis of HB 1287, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 252, click here.
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These similar bills move the Office of Early Learning to the Department of Education to create a state birth through 20 education system, revises VPK accountability to ensure parents get timely information on their child’s progress, creates a provider profile that families can use when selecting early learning providers, and creates a Pre-k through 3rd grade literacy and math progress monitoring system to look at child progression over time, to ensure timely interventions and promote early grade success. HB 419 has been placed on Special Order Calendar.
To read staff analysis of HB 419, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 1282, click here.
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These comparable bills establish the Early Learning Scholarship program and creates eligibility requirements, specifies how funds can be utilized and administered. The scholarship would be administered by the Office of Early Learning. This scholarship is contingent upon the legislature providing funds in the state's budget.
To read staff analysis of HB 1621, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 1496, click here.
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These comparable These comparable bills revise the requirements of the Gold Seal Quality Care program by transferring the responsibilities of the Gold Seal Quality Care Program from the Department of Children and Families to the Department of Education. Further, the bills require the Department of Education to establish a verification process for accrediting entities, provides that an accrediting entity is liable for repayment of certain rate differentials if the accrediting entity granted accreditation to specified entities under fraudulent terms or failed to conduct onsite verifications, and sets a minimum rate differential for certain child care facilities. HB 575 has been placed on Special Order Calendar.
To read staff analysis of HB 575, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 1336, click here.
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Committee on Children, Families & Elder Affairs and Rep. Rouson
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These similar bills provide that peer specialists are essential element of coordinated system of care in recovery from substance use disorder or mental illness. They revise background screening requirements for certain peer specialists, revise requirements for certification as peer specialist, and require DCF to develop training program for peer specialists. SB 130 has been placed on Special Order Calendar.
To read staff analysis on SB 130, click here.
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These comparable bills create a Commission on Mental Health & Substance Abuse. They require the Department of Children and Families to provide administrative & staff support services, outlines the purpose of the commission, provides for membership, term limits, meetings, & duties of commission, and requires the commission to submit reports of its findings & recommendations to the Legislature & Governor. They also provide for future repeal unless saved by Legislature through reenactment. HB 1447 has been placed on Special Order Calendar.
To read staff analysis of HB 1447, click here.
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Children With Disabilities |
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These similar bills require the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to provide specified written information to persons applying for certain waiver services and require the agency to provide a certain disclosure statement along with such information. SB 714 was laid on the table and HB 117 was taken up, passed and ordered enrolled.
To read staff analysis of HB 117, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 714, click here.
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Early Learning & Elementary Education Subcommittee and Rep. DuBose and Rep. Plasencia
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These similar bills require school districts to prohibit the use of seclusion on students with disabilities in public schools, require school districts to adopt positive behavior interventions, supports, certain policies and procedures, creates the Video Cameras in Public School Classrooms Pilot Program. Furthermore, the bills require continuing education and in-service training for instructional personnel teaching students with emotional or behavioral disabilities. HB 149 is in Senate Messages.
To read staff analysis of HB 149, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 192, click here.
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These similar bills revise the timeline for development & implementation of individual education plan (IEP) for transition services for student with disabilities to postsecondary education & career opportunities. They revise requirements for IEP for transitions to postsecondary education & career opportunities. HB 173 has been placed on the Special Order Calendar.
To read staff analysis of HB 173, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 726, click here.
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These identical bills provide and revise provisions related to DCF, including community alliances, caregivers, family-finding program, kinship navigator programs, website requirements, contracts, managing entities, lead agencies, and child & family well-being system program. They require the Florida Institute for Child Welfare to submit reports.
To read staff analysis of SB 92, click here.
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Committee on Children, Families & Elder Affairs and Sen. Brodeur
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These comparable bills require the case record of every child under the supervision or in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, the department’s agents, or providers contracting with the department to include a case record face sheet, require the department to determine out-of-home placement based on priority of placements and other factors, establishes certain placement priorities for out-of-home placements, provides conditions under which a child may be removed from a caregiver’s home, requires the department or lead agency to make reasonable efforts to place siblings in the same foster, kinship, adoptive, or guardianship home when certain conditions are met. SB 80 is currently in House Messages.
To read staff analysis of HB 1473, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 80 click here.
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This bill specifies circumstances under which a court is required to appoint a guardian ad litem. It renames the Guardian Ad Litem Qualifications Committee as the Child Well-Being Qualifications Committee. It specifies that the executive director of the Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office may be reappointed. It creates the Statewide Office of Child Representation within the Justice Administration Commission. It specifies when the court is authorized or required to appoint an attorney for the child.
To read staff analysis of SB 1920 click here.
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These identical bills remove the requirement that limits diversion program expunction to misdemeanor offenses. HB 95 or its companion will have to pass in order for SB 274 or HB 93 to take effect. HB 93 has been placed on the calendar for 2nd reading. SB 274 is currently in House Messages.
To read staff analysis of HB 93, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 274, click here.
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Committee on Health Policy and Sen. Rouson
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These similar bills require the Office of Minority Health & Health Equity to develop & promote statewide implementation of certain policies, programs, & practices. They require a representative from each county health department to serve as minority health liaison, require the office to maintain specified information on its website, and require the office to serve as liaison to & assist certain federal offices. HB 183 has been placed on the calendar for 2nd reading.
To read staff analysis of HB 183, click here.
To read staff analysis of SB 404, click here.
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These similar bills establish New Worlds Reading Initiative under DOE, provide duties & responsibilities of administrator, provide requirements & procedures for participating entities, establish student eligibility requirements & options relating to book selection, require books be delivered at no cost to families, and authorize DOE to contract with third-party entity.
To read staff analysis on HB 3, click here.
To read staff analysis on SB 1372, click here.
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Early Learning & Elementary Education Subcommittee and
Rep. Aloupis
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These similar bills revise requirements relating to improvement of student literacy skills. They require DOE, in consultation with Office of Early Learning, to implement coordinated screening & progress monitoring system for VPK program through grade 8, establish Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic Excellence Program within DOE, and revise requirements relating to specified reading instruction allocation. The bills revise requirements for certain instructional personnel & professional development program.
To read staff analysis on HB 7011, click here.
To read staff analysis on SB 1898, click here.
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These comparable bills task the Department of Education (DOE) with creating and implementing native language versions of required standardized assessments. Parents of younger children (PreK-5th grade) will have the right to elect which language they would like their children to be tested in, and students in 6th grade and above will be able to make their own selections. The DOE will begin creating assessments in Spanish and Haitian Creole, and the Commissioner of Education will set a timeline for establishing versions in other languages represented in Florida’s student population.SB 724 requires that private schools provide native language assessments for scholarship students, while HB 711 does not specifically require this.
To read staff analysis of HB 711, click here.
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For more information, please contact
Donovan Lee-Sin, Chief Public Policy & Engagement Officer at
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