BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

Florida League of Cities

  • Other Bills of Interest

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    HB 1079 (Mariano) and SB 1616 (Brodeur) – Agency Contracts for Commodities and Contractual Services 

    HB 1137 (Fabricio) and SB 1448 (Jones) – Information Technology Procurement

  • Contracts and Grants with Foreign Entities (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 2010 (Diaz) and PIE 1 (Public Integrity & Elections Committee) require local governments that receive any grant or gift of $50,000 or more from any foreign government, agency or individual to disclose the grant or gift to the Department of Financial Services within 30 days of receipt. Anyone seeking a grant or contract from a local government for more than $50,000 would be required to disclose to the local government any contracts they may have with China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria or Venezuela. Any individual who fails to disclose a contract captured under the bills would be liable for a civil violation with a fine of $5,000 and may be removed from their position by the governor. The bills also prohibit local governments from participating in any agreement from the countries listed above to establish a program to promote the language or culture of those countries. (Taggart)

  • Other Bills of Interest

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 384 (Rodriguez) and HB 581 (Joseph) – Unlawful Employment Practices 

    SB 364 (Gruters) – Discrimination on the Basis of Personal Health Information 

    SB 78 (Rodrigues) and HB 947 (Plakon) – Dues and Uniform Assessments

    HB 107 (Thompson) and SB 256 (Stewart) – Discrimination in Labor and Employment 

    HB 121 (Garrison) and SB 228 (Bradley) – Notaries Public

    SB 360 (Hooper) and HB 415 (Botana) – Fire Prevention and Control

    SB 854 (Brandes) – Minimum Wage

  • Wage and Employment Benefits (Support)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 304 (Taddeo) and HB 6031 (Smith, C.) repeal the preemption on political subdivisions' ability to establish a minimum wage other than the state or federal minimum wage. (Hughes)

  • 911 Public Safety Telecommunicators (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    HB 1171 (Willhite) and SB 1224 (Jones) define “first responder” to include 911 public safety telecommunicators. The bills expand eligibility for certain workers' compensation benefits and revise criteria in the Special Risk Class of Florida Retirement System to include 911 public safety telecommunicators. The bills also specify the number of creditable years for full retirement eligibility for the member to be 25 years without penalty. However, upon his or her retirement, the member shall have his or her benefits calculated in accordance with the Regular Class benefit provisions. (Hughes)

  • Prohibited Discrimination (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 476 (Bracy) and HB 179 (Brown) amend the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 to incorporate certain hairstyles as protected from discrimination. The bills prohibit employers from discriminating against an individual for having a protected hairstyle. (Hughes)

  • Medical Marijuana Public Employee Protection (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 692 (Polsky) and HB 335 (Duran) prohibit a public employer from taking adverse personnel action against an employee or a job applicant who is a qualified patient using medical marijuana. However, an employer may take appropriate adverse personnel action against any employee if the employer establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the lawful use of medical marijuana is impairing the employee’s ability to perform his or her job responsibilities. The bills require an employer that has a drug testing policy to provide written notice of an employee's or job applicant’s right to explain a positive marijuana test result within a specified time frame. (Hughes)

  • Law Enforcement Officers' and Correctional Officers' Rights (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    HB 6057 (Hardy) repeals the current section of law relating to the investigation process of law enforcement officers and correctional officers otherwise known as the “Police Bill of Rights.” The bill also makes several procedural changes for the receipt, investigation and determination of complaints against a law enforcement officer or correctional officer. (Hughes)

  • FRS: Special Risk (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 736 (Jones) adds 911 public safety telecommunicators to the special risk class of the Florida Retirement System and requires such members to have their retirement benefits calculated in accordance with provisions for Regular Class members. The bill specifies the required employer retirement contribution rates for the new membership subclass of 911 public safety telecommunicators. (Hughes)

  • FRS: Special Risk Class (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 230 (Hutson) adds employees of water, sewer or other public works departments of participating employers who work in hazardous conditions to the Special Risk Class of the Florida Retirement System. (Hughes)

  • FRS Employer Contribution Rates (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 7018 (Governmental Oversight and Accountability) establishes the contribution rates paid by employers participating in the Florida Retirement System beginning July 1, 2021. These rates are intended to fund the full normal cost and the amortization of the unfunded actuarial liability of the FRS. With these modifications to employer contribution rates, the FRS Trust Fund will receive roughly $373.5 million more in revenue on an annual basis beginning July 1, 2021. The public employers that will incur these additional costs are state agencies, state universities and colleges, school districts, counties, municipalities and other governmental entities that participate in the FRS.

    The bill also reduces the contributions paid by employers participating in the retiree health insurance subsidy program. With the reduced contribution rates, the revenues deposited into the Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy Trust Fund will be reduced by roughly $56.6 million on an annual basis beginning July 1, 2021.

    The bill will have a fiscal impact on state funds appropriated by the Legislature for employee salaries and benefits. The bill will increase the amounts, in the aggregate, employers participating in the FRS and the retiree health insurance subsidy program must pay for retiree benefits. (Hughes)

  • Florida Retirement System Reform (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 84 (Rodrigues) closes the pension plan (defined benefit) to new enrollees and requires all new enrollees to participate in the investment plan (defined contribution), effective July 1, 2022. The bill does not impact the rights of any current Florida Retirement System enrollee to select participation in the pension plan or the investment plan. Changes included in the bill pertain only to FRS members initially enrolled in the system on or after July 1, 2022.

    Beginning July 1, 2022, the bill increases the employer-paid assessment for administrative and educational services by one basis point. This assessment is expected to generate roughly $3.4 million annually for the State Board of Administration to offset additional costs associated with the increase in the number of members participating in the investment plan and an increase in the workload relating to educational services offered to FRS members.

    The fiscal impact relating to compulsory membership in the investment plan for members initially enrolling in the FRS on or after July 1, 2022, is unknown at this time. The special actuarial study on such impacts is underway. Any impacts will be borne by the employers participating in the FRS.

    The bill takes effect July 1, 2021; however, most changes are applicable to public employees on or after July 1, 2022. (Hughes)

  • Florida Retirement System Investment Plan (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 7016 (Governmental Oversight and Accountability) provides that the State Board Administration may not pay benefits to a member of the Florida Retirement System who has committed certain criminal offenses prior to retirement. Currently, the criminal forfeiture statute provides only that the Division of Retirement within the Department of Management Services may not pay benefits when the forfeiture provisions are triggered. Thus, the bill clarifies that the criminal forfeiture provisions in Section 121.091, Florida Statutes, apply equally to employees whether a member of the investment plan or a member of the pension plan.

    The bill provides that the State Board may develop one or more investment products to be offered in the investment plan, consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities. The bill also requires that the spouse of a member who does not designate his spouse as a primary beneficiary be notified and acknowledge any such designation. Should the spouse fail to affirmatively acknowledge the designation or if the spouse cannot be found, the member may request the acknowledgement requirement be waived by the State Board through an affidavit. (Hughes)

  • Firefighters’ Bill of Rights (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 970 (Hooper) and CS/HB 313 (Busatta Cabrera) extend certain provisions of the Firefighters’ Bill of Rights to questioning conducted under an informal inquiry. The bills specify that an informal inquiry does not include routine work-related discussions, such as safety sessions or normal operational fire debriefings. The bills require an informal inquiry of a firefighter to be of reasonable duration with permitted periods for rest and personnel necessities; and not subject the firefighter to offensive language or offer any incentive as an inducement to answer any

    questions. During an informal inquiry or interrogation, a firefighter may not be threatened with a transfer, suspension, dismissal or other disciplinary action. (Hughes)

  • Cost-of-living Adjustment of Retirement Benefits (Watch)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    HB 1023 (Skidmore) and SB 1310 (Polsky) specify the minimum factor used to calculate the cost-of-living adjustment for certain retirees and beneficiaries of the Florida Retirement System. (Hughes)

  • Combating Public Disorder (Oppose – Impact on Municipal Operations)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    HB 1 (Fernandez-Barquin) and SB 484 (Burgess) are aimed at curbing riots and violent protests. Of specific interest to municipalities are provisions that make it difficult to reduce municipal law enforcement funding, in certain cases waive the sovereign immunity of cities for damages arising from riots and provisions that create specific law enforcement actions when responding to riots.

    The legislation creates a process for a resident of a city to file a petition to the Administration Commission within 30 days after the municipality posts its tentative budget if the budget contains a funding reduction to the operating budget of the municipal law enforcement agency. The governing body of the municipality has five working days to file a reply with the Executive Office of the Governor and must deliver a copy of the reply to the petitioner. After receiving the petition, the Executive Office of the Governor must provide for a budget hearing to discuss the petition and the reply. The Administration Commission then has 30 days to provide a report of findings and approve or modify the municipal budget. The report by the Commission is final.

    The bills also create civil liability for damages caused during a riot. A governing body of a municipality that intentionally obstructs or interferes with the ability of a municipal law enforcement agency to provide reasonable law enforcement protection during a riot or unlawful assembly is civilly liable for any damages arising from the riot. The bills waive sovereign immunity for any governing body found liable, which means cities would not be protected by statutory caps that normally limit the amount someone can recover when suing a government entity.

    The bills require law enforcement officers to hold individuals committing crimes related to riots in jail until their first appearance. Law enforcement cannot simply give tickets to anyone cited for crimes related to riots. Lastly, the legislation increases criminal penalties for actions relating to violent protests or riots. (Hughes)

  • Smoking (Support)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 334 (Gruters) and HB 239 (Altman) authorize cities and counties to restrict smoking within the boundaries of any public beach or park they own. The bills specify that municipalities can restrict smoking within the boundaries of a beach or park that is owned by the county, but located within the city, as long as it does not conflict with any county ordinance. Additionally, the bills prohibit smoking in state parks. (Taggart)

  • Other Bills of Interest

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 134 (Brandes) and SB 148 (Bradley) and SB 142 (Brandes) – Alcohol-To-Go

    SB 630 (Baxley) and HB 867 (Shoaf) – Community Associations

    SB 872 (Rodrigues) and HB 665 (McClure) – Homeowners' Association Rental Agreements

    SB 902 (Rodrigues) and HB 463 (Roach) – Community Association Pools

    SB 56 (Rodrigues) and HB 615 (Rodriguez) –  Community Association Assessment Notices 

    HB 1297 (Giallombardo) and SB 1900 (Boyd) - Cybersecurity

    HB 6075 (Shoaf) and SB 1564 (Gainer) – Required Publication of Local Board Meeting Minutes

    HB 1517 (Duggan) and SB 1966 (Diaz) – Department of Business and Professional Regulation

    HB 241 (Grall) and SB 582 (Rodrigues) – Parental Rights

    HB 254 (Stewart) – Education 

    HB 641 (Goff-Marcil) – Charter and Private Schools

    SB 904 (Daiz) and HB 6053 (Yarborough) – Doorstep Waste Containers

    SB 922 (Burgess) and HB 541 (Buchanan) – Veteran’s Preference in Employment

    SB 1028 (Hutson) and HB 51 (McClain) – Charter Schools

    HB 1029 (Barnaby) and SB 1320 (Hutson) – Purple Heart Recipient Parking Spaces

    SB 1030 (Polsky) and HB 763 (Diamond) – Repeal of the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance Program and Reversion of Program Funds

    HB 1153 (Casello) – Pub. Rec./Emergency Planning and Management

    HB 1325 (Truenow) and SB 1614 (Rodriguez) – Neighborhood Pod Learning Programs

    SB 1454 (Farmer) – Strategic Fuel Reserve

    HB 1595 (Williamson) and SB 1892 (Diaz) –  Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund

    SB 2006 (Burgess) – Emergency Management

    SB 204 (Brandes) and HB 1179 (Brandes) – Abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission

    SB 914 (Stewart) – Access to Clinics

    HB 855 (Morales) and SB 1176 (Stewart) – Barber Services

    SB 826 (Baxley) and HB 871 (Snyder) – Child Protection Teams

    HB 7005 (Burton) and SB 74 (Burgess) – Civil Liability for Covid-19-Related Claims Against Certain Health Care Providers

    HB 479 (Alexander) and SB 1628 (Alexander) – Compensation for Victims of Excessive Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers 

    HB 1181 (Beltran), HB 1179 (Beltran) and SB 204 (Beltran) – Constitution Revision Commission 

    SB 212 (Brandes), SB 76 (Boyd) and HB 305 (Rommel) – Contingency Risk Multipliers

    SB 74 (Brandes) and HB 7005 (Burton) – COVID-19-related Claims Against Health Care Providers 

    HB 737 (DiCeglie), SB 46 (Hutson) and SB 142 (Brandes) – Craft Distilleries 

    HB 515 (Mariano) and SB 1040 (Brodeur) – Duties of the Attorney General 

    HB 6089 (Joseph) and SB 1706 (Torres, Jr.) and SB 1928 (Taddeo) – Federal Immigration Enforcement

    HHS1 (PCB Bill) – Health Care Civil Liability 

    SB 344 (Diaz), HB 471 (Rizo), HB 717 (Clemons) and SB 1598 (Gruters) – Legislative Review of Occupational Regulations 

    HB 1357 (Altman) and SB 1796 (Wright) – Military Installations

    SB 686 (Brandes) and HB 1533 (McFarland) – Offers of Judgement

    HB 1083 (Shoaf) and SB 1570 (Rodriguez) – Quasi-public Entities 

    SB 76 (Boyd), SB 212 (Brandes) and HB 305 (Rommel) – Residential Property Insurance

  • Urban Agriculture (Support)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    SB 628 (Rouson) creates the Florida Urban Agriculture Act and expressly preserves local governmental authority to regulate urban agriculture under certain circumstances. Nonresidential farm buildings, fences or signs located on lands used for urban agriculture would not be exempt from the Florida Building Code or local governmental regulations. (Cruz)

  • Tolling and Extension of Permits and Other Authorizations During States of Emergency (Oppose – Mandate)

    by Mary Edenfield | Mar 05, 2021

    HB 859 (Grant) and SB 912 (Albritton) add development permits and development agreements authorized by state law, including those authorized under the Florida Local Government Agreement Act or issued by local government or other governmental agency, to the list of permits and authorizations that are tolled and extended during a state of emergency for a natural emergency. The bills would apply to any declaration of a state of emergency issued by the governor for a natural emergency dating back to March 1, 2020. Both bills are effective upon becoming law. (Branch)