LIVE UPDATES: Abortion bill filed on first day of Florida Legislature's 2022 session

Capital Bureau
·7 min read

Starting today, Florida lawmakers are returning to the Capitol for the regular 60-day session, held every year in the Capitol.

We'll be updating live throughout the first day.

2:26 p.m. Sprowls releases priority bills

Sprowls’ office later Tuesday released a list of his five priority bills for the session, touching on “affordable housing, law enforcement support, individual freedom provisions, abortion and consumer data privacy.”

HJR 1 — Affordable Housing for Critical Public Employees: “The bill proposes a constitutional amendment to reduce property taxes through an additional $50,000 homestead exemption for law enforcement officers, members of the Florida National Guard, K-12 classroom teachers, firefighters, active duty military, correctional officers and child welfare services professionals.

“Passage of HJR 1 will place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2022 for voter approval of the measure. Passage of the implementing bill (HB1563) will make the necessary changes to Florida statutes to implement the measure upon voter approval of the amendment.”

HB 3 — Law Enforcement Recruitment and Training: The bill “designates May 1 of each year as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, includes incentives to recruit talent into the state’s law enforcement force, … authorizes bonus payments to newly employed officers and offers relocation assistance for out-of-state applicants, … creates a scholarship to cover tuition and other expenses for basic recruit training programs.”

HB 5 — Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality: The session's main abortion bill aims to “end the practice of abortions after 15 weeks. The bill also includes pro-life measures for babies after birth by expanding initiatives that are improving infant mortality rates across Florida.”

The statement from the speaker's office adds, “HB 5 is consistent with Mississippi’s 2018 Gestational Age Act and the related pending U.S. Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, for which oral arguments were heard in December and a decision is anticipated next summer.”

HB 7 — Principles of Individual Freedom: "Currently, the Florida Civil Rights Act prohibits unlawful discrimination by employers. HB 7 clarifies that required workplace trainings that compel workers to believe concepts contradictory to the principles of individual freedom is unlawful discrimination." This is aimed at combating Critical Race Theory and similar initiatives.

HB 9 — Consumer Data Privacy: This bill “would lead to the expansion of Florida’s Information Protection Act (FIPA) to include protections for biometric data, which includes fingerprints, voice recordings and retina scans. Because biometric data is sensitive, greater protections are needed. The bill adds FIPA data breach protections for breaches of biometric data combined with a person’s name.”

—Jim Rosica

11:20 a.m. Governor enters House chamber for State of the State speech

DeSantis ascended the dais in the House after entering the chamber, walking past without acknowledging Democrat Nikki Fried, the elected Agriculture Commissioner challenging him for the governor's office this year.

He quickly kicks off his speech: "We have made Florida the freest state in these United States." The chamber erupts in applause.

Just one highlight so far: He's proud that Florida kids are back in school. "We were right and they were wrong," he said, referring to "lockdown states." "And millions of families in Florida are better for it."

Another: He takes a shot at critical race theory, bringing up Florida’s prohibition on teaching it in public schools. He points out Quisha King, "a mother from Duval County who has joined moms all across Florida and America to speak out against divisive ideologies like CRT.

"These moms are standing up for a principle: Our tax dollars should not be used to teach our kids to hate our country or to hate each other," he adds. Speech ends at 11:55 a.m.

The main event: A defiant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opens legislative session touting Florida as 'free'

Moms for Liberty: Despite nonpartisan claims, army of activists a political force in 2022

—Jim Rosica

► Read the governor's State of the State speech as prepared for delivery.

10:41 a.m. Abortion bill endorsed by legislative leadership filed

As lawmakers await the governor's State of the State speech, POLITICO Florida noted that the abortion bill backed by legislative leadership had been filed.

More: New bill in Florida seeks to ban abortions after 15 weeks

The legislation (HB 5, SB 146), filed Tuesday, will be carried by Republican Erin Grall in the House and fellow Republican Kelli Stargel in the Senate. The title: "Fetal and Infant Mortality Reduction."

Previous coverage:

Mainly, it would ban abortions after 15 weeks with no exception for incest or rape. Currently, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks in the state, and later in the case of an emergency.

Tuesday's legislation does provide for some exceptions, such as if "two physicians certify in writing that ... the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life...."

The legislation also provides for "two physicians (to) certify in writing that, in (their) reasonable medical judgment, the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality."

The bills come with a $260,000 appropriation.

In September, another bill was filed that would ban abortion in Florida when a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually six to eight weeks after conception. That bill (HB 167) by state Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, followed a Texas abortion law that has become a 2022 campaign issue.

—Jim Rosica, with James Call

2022 Florida Legislative Session — recent coverage:

10:22 a.m. House opens, Speaker Sprowls addresses chamber

After a jazzy saxophone version of the The Star-Spangled Banner, Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, told his members they would find on their desks a box with samples of the chamber's new civic education modules aimed at 4th graders.

He soon recognized a series of guests, including Florida Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices, as well as former Speakers Richard Corcoran (currently the state's education commissioner), Steve Crisafulli, Tom Feeney and H. Lee Moffitt.

In remarks, among other things, Sprowls mentioned how health officials view the world "myopically," through the lens of their expertise, while lawmakers needs to look at the "full horizon, the whole spectrum."

He also noted how state coffers are relatively flush with cash, but did not mention that's in no small part thanks to the feds. (Generally, the more money, the less controversy in a session.)

"We are in a cash-rich moment in our state's history," Sprowls said.

► Read Sprowls' remarks as prepared for delivery.

—Jim Rosica

9:52 a.m. Senate opens, Simpson speaks

President Simpson is offering remarks to colleagues, mentioning that lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis "kept Florida free" during the pandemic.

He's also discussing school choice, using Florida "as the promised land" language.

Other points touched: Job growth, expanding wildlife corridors, water quality of lakes and rivers,

Florida continues to be a "refuge of freedom ... a slice of paradise," where the "heavy hand of government" is absent, he says.

► Read Simpson's remarks as prepared for delivery.

—Jim Rosica

Jim Rosica at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter @JimRosicaFL.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LIVE UPDATES: Abortion bill filed on first day of legislative session