What’s Under Consideration in Florida’s Special State Legislative Session
Bottom Line: Florida’s special state legislative session commenced yesterday with a stated focus, according to Governor DeSantis, on legislation aimed at combating illegal immigration in addition to condo association reforms, hurricane relief measures and additional funds for Florida’s My Safe Florida home program. That session also abruptly ended yesterday as the legislature voted to end it and instead called their own special session with their agenda focused on illegal immigration.
As stated their agenda is the following:
- Strengthen state laws, programs, or policies, and provide appropriations in support thereof, to maximize the state's ability to coordinate with and assist the Federal Government in its enforcement of federal immigration law and policy, including the directives of President Trump related to immigration and declared national emergency, and related federal actions.
- Designate a chief immigration officer to serve as the state's official liaison between state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Federal Government regarding the enforcement of federal immigration laws, and establish related responsibilities, powers, programs, and policies
- Restrict benefits that incentivize illegal immigrants to relocate to Florida
- Create criminal offenses related to noncitizens' voting
- Enhance criminal penalties for crimes committed by removed aliens who unlawfully reentered the country.
- Require immigration status to be considered when determining bail and pretrial detention.
- Require valid identification information for interactions with the state
- Establish programs and policies, and provide appropriations in support thereof, to allow local law enforcement agencies to supplement, not replace, the Federal Government in its enforcement of federal immigration law
- Consider line-item vetoes from HB 5001 from the 2024 Regular Session
Two bills were filed which address all of those matters:
And it’s senate companion
To be continued...