10 Big Issues to Watch in 2023 Legislative Session
Florida lawmakers next week will start the annual 60-day legislative session. Here are 10 big issues to watch.
March 01, 2023 at 01:05 PM
3 minute read
LegislationFlorida lawmakers next week will start the annual 60-day legislative session. Here are 10 big issues to watch:
—Affordable Housing: Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, has made a priority of trying to find ways to make housing more affordable for workers. The Senate could quickly pass a wide-ranging bill that includes providing incentives for investments in affordable housing and encouraging mixed-use developments in struggling commercial areas.
—Budget: Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a $114.8 billion budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1. Among other things, the proposal includes money for increasing teacher salaries, $1.1 billion for Everglades restoration and water-quality issues, 5 percent across-the-board pay hikes for state workers and additional money for targeted jobs such as correctional officers.
—Death Penalty: After Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison, lawmakers could scrap a requirement that unanimous jury recommendations are needed before death sentences can be imposed. House and Senate bills would allow death sentences based on the recommendations of eight of 12 jurors and also give judges more authority.
—Defamation: Lawmakers will consider revamping the state's defamation laws, potentially weakening protections for journalists. DeSantis, who frequently criticizes the media, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, have called for revisiting the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan, which helps shield reporters from lawsuits.
—Guns: Republican lawmakers have started moving forward with a proposal to allow people to carry concealed weapons without obtaining state licenses, an idea that supporters call "constitutional carry." The proposal has drawn opposition from gun-control groups—and from some gun-rights groups, who say the state should allow people to openly carry guns.
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