TALLAHASSEE — When Florida lawmakers went residence immediately after ending the 2024 legislative session Friday, they left driving hundreds of expenditures that did not move. In this article are snapshots of 10 challenges that died throughout the session:
– DEFAMATION: Proposals to revamp defamation laws could have exposed media companies to improved legal responsibility. That could have incorporated building it less difficult for general public figures to sue journalists who depend on anonymous sources for facts that turns out to be phony.
– FLAG Limitations: Payments that would have limited the styles of flags flown at schools and other public structures drew controversy for the reason that opponents mentioned the proposals, at minimum in component, have been made to avert display screen of LGBTQ delight flags.
– GUN AGE: The House passed a invoice that would have reduced the minimal age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and shotguns in Florida. But the Senate did not think about the proposal, which would have reversed an age alter manufactured immediately after the 2018 Parkland college capturing.
– ID Cards, Insurance policy: LGBTQ-advocacy groups fought a Home proposal that would have demanded point out-issued identification cards to mirror a person’s intercourse assigned at start and placed prerequisites on well being insurers that include treatments for gender dysphoria.
– LAWSUIT Limitations: Residence and Senate proposals could have amplified boundaries on the quantities of income that governing administration organizations can be necessary to pay in lawsuits. The proposals would have revamped sovereign-immunity regulations, which limit legal responsibility of governing administration agencies.
– Regional TAXES: The House handed a proposal that could have built it tougher for towns and counties to raise house taxes, but the difficulty died in the Senate. The proposal would have expected two-thirds votes by neighborhood governing boards to raise tax-millage rates.
– Marijuana Efficiency: Lawmakers considered imposing boundaries on the amounts of euphoria-inducing THC in marijuana solutions. The limits would have taken effect if voters in November go a proposed constitutional modification that would permit leisure cannabis.
– MONUMENTS: Amid debates in places these types of as Jacksonville about removing monuments erected to honor the Confederacy, lawmakers considered proposals to avert regional governments from removing or destroying historic monuments from public house.
– Expression Limits: While some counties now have term limitations, Residence and Senate proposals sought to impose 8- or 12-12 months expression boundaries on county commissioners all over the state. The plan drew opposition, in element, from rural counties, and the proposals stalled.
– ‘UNBORN CHILD’ Invoice: Proposals would have authorized mom and dad to file civil lawsuits in search of damages for the wrongful loss of life of an “unborn baby.” Abortion-rights advocates fought the proposals, though monthly bill sponsors said the issue was not abortion-relevant.
