Capitol Watch for Thursday, April 1 (Source: News Service of Florida) By News Service of Florida | April 1, 2021 at 7:49 AM EDT - Updated April 1 at 7:49 AM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (News Service of Florida) - The following events/topics are scheduled today in Tallahassee and elsewhere:
RESIDENT TUITION AT ISSUE: The House Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee will take up a bill (HB 747), filed by Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Joe Harding, R-Williston, that would ensure in-state tuition status for residents working outside of Florida for the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Defense or while teaching at a U.S. Department of Defense dependent school. (12:30 p.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol.)
Legislation inspired by the arrest of an Orlando 6 year-old in 2019 that would prohibit arrests of children under 7 for non-forcible felonies passed through a House panel Thursday, a sign the bill could make it into law this year.
News Service of Florida
The Florida House on Friday passed two COVID-19 bills that Republican leaders made a priority for the 2021 legislative session, as they seek to protect businesses from lawsuits and crack down on vaccination scams.
House members voted 83-31 to approve a bill (HB 7), sponsored by Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, that would shield businesses from lawsuits related to COVID-19. Republicans touted the legislation as a must-pass bill to protect Florida’s economy and return people to work, but many Democrats decried it as being overly broad and eliminating the public’s access to courts.
House Minority Co-leader Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, said procedural hurdles that plaintiffs would have to overcome to file COVID-19-related lawsuits are “so gargantuan they invoke names like Everest, Kilimanjaro and Denali.”
Capitol Watch for Thursday, March 11 Florida lawmakers began a 60-day session March 2. (Source: News Service of Florida) By ABC7 Staff | March 11, 2021 at 9:29 AM EST - Updated March 11 at 10:21 AM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WWSB) - Florida Senate and House committees will be taking up the following bills on Thursday, March 11:
LIABILITY PROTECTIONS AT ISSUE: The Senate Rules Committee will consider two bills (SB 72 and SB 74), filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, that would help shield businesses and health-care providers from lawsuits related to COVID-19. (8:15 a.m., 412 Knott Building, the Capitol.)
TAXES ON INTERNET SALES EYED: The House Ways & Means Committee will take up a bill (HB 15), filed by Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, and Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, that would expand the collection of sales taxes on goods sold online. The bill would require many out-of-state retailers to collect and remit sales taxes on goods sold to Florida customers. House and
Republicans touted the legislation as a must-pass bill to protect Florida’s economy and return people to work, but many Democrats decried it as being overly broad and eliminating the public’s access to courts.