Amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign and a war thousands of miles away, the Florida Legislature will begin a special session Monday on politics and money, with a slate of bills ranging from Idalia relief to voucher expansion and support for Israel.
DeSantis, who likes to boast that he is the nation’s most pro-Israel governor, has said at times that he has called the Legislature back to Tallahassee for the third time this year and just 10 weeks before the regular session begins in January. House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Pacidomo did the actual deed, but said they consulted with the governor.
The Israel-Hamas war is perhaps the most emotionally charged issue lawmakers will face, including domestic spillover in the form of increased anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Palestinian Americans. DeSantis ordered the Florida State University system to launch campus crackdowns on any Palestinian student groups deemed to be seeking Israel’s destruction.
But there are a lot more emotions to play with, like a punishing series of natural disasters, skyrocketing insurance costs, and school vouchers. The session is scheduled for November 6-9.
Relief of Idalia
The Legislature could pay about $500 million for Hurricane Idalia relief. Most of that money, $176,170,000, would go to fund the My Florida Safe Home program. Through it, people can receive up to $10,000 to make their homes resistant to high winds, flooding and debris. The program is intended to help homeowners lower their insurance costs.
“I look forward to further discussions on this important program during the regular session as we continue to evaluate ways to strengthen our infrastructure against storm damage by stabilizing and reducing insurance costs,” Senate President Kathleen Passidomo wrote in a news release on 2 November.
Big Bend Republican Sen. Corey Simon filed SB 2C, which is to be discussed at the Fiscal Policy Committee meeting on Monday. The House version filed by Big Bend Republican Jason Shoaf, HB 1Cis scheduled for the Appropriations Committee agenda on Monday afternoon.
The second-highest amount of the proposals, $75 million, would go to a loan program for farmers to recover after a natural disaster. Each farmer is eligible to receive up to $500,000 through the low-interest loan program. A Senate staff analysis of the bill shows that Idalia affected more than 3.3 million acres of farmland. Tax exemptions and refunds will also be given to farmers who rebuild structures and fences damaged during the August 30 phenomenon.
Timber owners would be eligible for a cost-sharing program to rebuild their businesses, which would receive $37.5 million if either bill passes. The rest of the funds will be distributed to counties where Hurricane Idalia caused damage. Both proposals fund transportation, housing, infrastructure and emergency recovery programs within counties stretching from the Big Bend to Tampa Bay.
Vouchers for students with disabilities
Florida legislative leaders aim to increase the number of school vouchers the state can award to students with disabilities after the 2023 regular session made Florida’s education system the nation’s largest provider of school vouchers. However, thousands of children are on the waiting list.
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) was established in 2021 as an offshoot of the McKay Scholarship Program, which served students with special needs in Florida for decades. The FES-UA provides at least $10,000 in vouchers for students with disabilities to find alternative public education or receive funds in an education savings account.
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Two proposed bills — SB 4C and HB 3C — would remove the mandatory cap on students eligible for these vouchers this school year and allow the Department of Education and partner scholarship funding agencies to set it.
The bill analysis it does not predict how many more students could receive vouchers. The Florida Institute of Politics told a statement On Thursday, more than 8,000 children are on the waiting list.
Institute CEO Sadaf Knight blasted the proposed legislation for being unclear about how the increased number of vouchers would be funded. The bill would not require additional appropriations, according to the bill’s analysis, and funding for additional students would come from the Florida Education Funding Program (FEFP), the largest pot of public school funding in the state budget.
The bill analysis claims there would be no need for additional funding, as the cost to provide vouchers to additional students could come from the $350 million earmarked for the Enrollment Stabilization Program, created in 2023 to help public schools to maintain financial stability if you see increases in full-time student enrollments.
“What if the [FES-UA] is the cap lifted and the cost for the other voucher programs, Educational Choices and Individualized Education Plan vouchers for homeschoolers, exceeds the amount lawmakers have set aside for cost overruns?” Knight said.
Sanctions on Iran
Although the Biden administration says it has found no direct link between Iran and Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks, the Islamic Republic supports the group and others dedicated to Israel’s destruction.
HB 5C and SB 10C will redesignate an existing program targeting investments in Iran’s oil sector as the Verified List of Companies with Activities in Iran Terrorist Sectors.
The bill targets companies that after January 10, 2024 locate more than 10% of their revenue or assets in the Iranian energy, petrochemical, finance, construction, manufacturing, textile, mining, metals, shipping, shipbuilding or port sectors. It also targets companies with investments of $20 million or more in these sectors of the Iranian economy.
“Following the horrific atrocities committed by the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas against Israel, I am calling on the Florida Legislature to act quickly to ensure that our state does not send a dime to the Iranian terrorist state,” said DeSantis. written statement approving the idea on October 20.
“While our laws already have strong sanctions against regimes that support terrorism, a conflict of this scale certainly requires a fresh look at what further steps we can take to strengthen existing sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its other state and corporate sponsors. of terrorism”. Passidomo wrote to her senators.
“We can, and must, do everything within our powers as a state government to support Israel and condemn terror, hatred and violence,” he added.
ONE legislative analysis notes that the measure may face constitutional problems to the extent that it usurps the federal government’s primacy in foreign relations.
“There is an exception to the Commerce Clause when a state acts as a market participant rather than a regulator, which generally applies when a state acts in its sole capacity to spend or invest funds in a manner consistent with the economic or ideological sentiments of of its citizens”, the analysis states.
However, “the state is still prohibited from imposing conditions that have a substantial regulatory effect outside the particular market in which it operates.”
Protection of Jewish Day Schools
Rep. Randy Fine (R-Brevard) filed an account On Thursday to “provide $35 million in emergency funding to protect Florida’s Jewish day schools, synagogues, Holocaust museums and cultural centers,” Rep. posted on Xofficial Twitter.
Finn made national headlines when he broke up his alliance with DeSantis endorsing Donald Trump for President because of what he said was the governor’s lack of support for Jews.
HB 7C and his Senate partner, SB 6Cwould modify the way Florida uses its federal Non-profit security grantto provide physical security funding to non-profit organizations against terrorist attacks.
The bill would allocate $35 million from the state’s general revenue fund: $10 million to the Florida Department of Emergency Management to implement security grants and $25 million to grants to Jewish day schools and Jewish preschools for enhanced security, according to her bill analysis.
Support to Israel
Both Florida Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature have largely rallied behind Israel in the conflict with Hamas. Two Palm Beach Democrats, Sen. Lori Berman and Rep. Kathryn Waldron, have filed the pro-Israel resolutions, although they have different tones.
The Senate version condemns more strongly the threats against Jews by militant groups such as Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iran and others who target Jews. Meanwhile, the Resolution of the House it does not mention Iran or Hezbollah.
“The Iranian regime provides financial and logistical support to terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah and has praised these recent senseless atrocities committed against innocent civilians,” the Senate resolution states. “The State of Florida recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist as a sovereign and independent nation and the right and obligation to defend itself, with the full rights and privileges afforded to all nations under international law.”
While Waldron’s resolution also expresses solidarity with Israel’s right to defend itself, it is one page shorter. The reason for the length difference is that the Senate resolution also calls for an end to financial support for Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and entities that support attacks against Israel.
Neither resolution mentions the deaths of Palestinian civilians.
Regardless of the resolution adopted by the Legislature, a copy of it will be given to members of Florida’s delegation to Congress and to Israel’s Ambassador to the US. Bills on this matter are SR 8C and HR 9C.