Ann NaimanWhen you hear someone in Tallahassee, Florida say “It’s an odd year” there could be two meanings. First, it’s really an odd year, as in weird. Or it could mean that Florida Legislative Session will start in March, not January. With that, lawmakers are back in Tallahassee as the 2021 Florida Legislative Session started on March 2. (Read below for more insight.)
In Florida, the COVID-19 liability protection bill is House Bill 7 and has been fast-tracked to pass early in the session. As of now in the Sunshine State, in order for a business to be held at fault if someone were to be diagnosed with the virus, a doctor would have to sign an affidavit attesting that a business was willfully negligent in protecting customers. Democrats have objected to this, but the bill is expected to pass.
House Bill 387 would expand the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loan program if passed and is assigned to four committees. This is a sign the bill is not likely to move this session.
A priority of Governor Ron DeSantis is to reign in “Big Tech.” As part of this, there is House Bill 969 and Senate Bill 1734. In its current form, the bill is similar to the controversial California Consumer Protection Act and would place many undue burdens on financial institutions. The League is working with the Florida Bankers Association to ensure credit unions and banks are exempted from this bill. Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls has assured LSCU he intends to protect financial institutions and will work with us on amendatory language.
In reference to the above, from www.FlSenate.gov: The Florida Legislature meets in session every year for sixty consecutive days. A regular session of the legislature shall convene on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each odd-numbered year, and on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each even-numbered year.
