By Peter Schorsch
Sixty Days Newsletter
March 10. 2022
The Legislative Session is going into overtime. Despite assurances the budget would be ready for a vote Friday, legislators will likely return Monday — indicating the Sine Die hankie will drop a little later than hoped. Led by budget chiefs Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Jay Trumbull, the Budget Conference plans to have the budget ready by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls had initially implied a Saturday vote. But on the floor Wednesday morning, Simpson said the budget will be prepared “certainly first thing in the morning,” lining up a Monday vote. Remaining issues to hammer out: Education, agriculture and $3.5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief dollars. Here’s your nightly rundown.
‘Mother of all preemptions.’ A highly contentious bill (SB 620) enabling businesses to sue governments for revenue lost as a result of new local ordinances is ready for the Governor’s signature.
‘Fundamentally unfair.’ The Legislature has cleared a controversial bill (HB 1796) that would eliminate permanent alimony.
CRO. The Senate unanimously voted on a bill (HB 7053) to formalize the Statewide Office of Resiliency and place the Chief Resilience Officer as the head of the office.
Mano y ratón. Disney CEO Bob Chapek will meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill (HB 1557).
[Redacted]. The Legislature passed a measure (SB 1614) that would provide a public records exemption for certain personal information contained in crash reports.
Membership requirements. Lawmakers OK’d a bill (SB 1078) that would limit membership on the boards of Soil and Water Conservation Districts to wealthy landowners and their employees.
Purse strings. A Senate amendment to the law enforcement recruiting incentive bill (HB 3) would give sheriffs greater authority over how they spend their department’s budget.
No time limit. A bill (SB 1244) that would remove the statute of limitations for using a child in a sexual performance cleared the House with a unanimous vote.
