Friday, January 28, 2022, Tallahassee – Legislators wrapped up week three of their annual nine-week session with much of their deliberations dedicated to committee hearings on individual member bills, taking public testimony and considering amendments, all readying the proposals for final consideration by both the full House and Senate. During the remaining six weeks, more and more of members’ time will be spent developing a state budget for FY 2022-23 and meeting in full sessions to debate and vote on bills that successfully navigated the committee process.

For example, on Thursday afternoon the full Senate tackled the contentious issue of designating Florida’s official “State Dessert.” Not to be confused with Florida’s designated official “State Pie,” previously awarded to the key lime pie in 2006, the Senate voted to add “Strawberry Shortcake” to the list of 42 other official state symbols.

With that hotly-debated issue now behind us – at least in the Senate – here’s a look at several other issues which saw action this week, together with one that didn’t, that your FCA Lobby Team continues to monitor and work on, primarily focusing on the health care and insurance fronts.

Thursday, January 20, 2022, Tallahassee – State lawmakers spent the second week of their nine-week regular session focusing primarily on committee work on individual member bills together with hearing individual appropriation requests. State budget committees also began their early work developing a plan to fund state government, the only exercise the constitution mandates legislators must complete each year.

But none of these tasks have taken priority over their top issue that must be tackled: A once-every-decade charge to redraw the political boundaries for our state legislative and congressional districts following each decennial census. Given pandemic-related delays in the 2000 national headcount, lawmakers in both chambers are now in full overdrive trying to agree on maps that will attract enough votes for final passage and satisfy a review by both the Attorney General and Florida Supreme Court. Then, in the case of the congressional exercise, it will need to please the Governor and ultimately win a nod of approval from the U.S. Department of Justice following its final review. Plus, all of this must happen before candidate qualifying opens on July 13th.

Friday, January 14, 2022, Tallahassee – Tuesday marked the start of Florida’s annual 60-day legislative session amid the traditional revelry of opening day. Speeches, spouses, flowers and former legislators all filled the House chamber as the three branches of state government came together to listen to the Governor’s annual State-of-the-State address. DeSantis’ remarks highlighted his legislative priorities for this year ranging from a gas tax holiday to election security reforms, to even his introduction of Florida’s top python hunter.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022, Tallahassee – On the eve of the first day of their 2022 annual lawmaking session, a measure seeking to repeal Florida’s long-standing PIP/No-fault automobile insurance system and replace it a mandatory bodily injury (MBI) coverage requirement once again reared its head. Rep. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) is the prime sponsor of HB 1525 proposing to dump PIP and replace it with the MBI requirement. Grall sponsored a similar measure that sailed through committees and was passed by both the House and Senate last year, only to be vetoed by Gov. DeSantis once it reached his desk.

Friday, November 19, Tallahassee – Governor DeSantis took less than a day to give his approval on Thursday to a package of bills that the Florida House and Senate passed late Wednesday in deference to the Biden Administration’s recently issued vaccine and mask mandates.  State legislators were in Tallahassee last week for their second special session this year, for what was originally planned to be just another round of routine committee work in preparation for their annual 60-day legislative session set to begin in January. But Gov. DeSantis changed their course, instead calling them back to consider a package of four bills snubbing the White House.

Tallahassee – Late last night Gov. Ron DeSantis exercised his veto power striking down Senate Bill 54, the legislature’s latest effort to pull the plug on Florida’s no-fault automobile insurance system and replace it with a requirement that drivers carry mandatory bodily injury coverage (MBI) instead. DeSantis waited just one day to reject the bill after it made it to his desk following the legislature’s passage of the bill during this spring’s annual lawmaking session. 

Tallahassee – Moments ago state legislative leaders presented to Gov. DeSantis Senate Bill 54, legislation passed by lawmakers earlier this spring that would end Florida’s No-fault automobile insurance system, replacing it with a requirement that drivers carry mandatory bodily insurance coverage (MBI) instead. This morning’s presentation triggers the constitutionally mandated 15-day period within which the governor must act. DeSantis is now faced with three options: Sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow the bill to become law without his signature when his July 13th deadline ends. How long the governor will wait to act remains to be seen, but so far this year, he has generally acted on other bills within several days of their presentation.

Contrary to flawed reporting by another group this week, Gov. DeSantis has yet to receive Senate Bill 54 on his desk triggering his 15-day window to either sign, veto, or allow the repeal of No-Fault/PIP to become law without his signature. So, it’s still not too late to voice your opposition to the Legislature’s attempt to switch from PIP to a mandatory bodily injury coverage system. 

As Gov. DeSantis still waits for the Legislature to deliver Senate Bill 54 to his desk, it’s not too late to voice your opposition to the Legislature’s recent attempt to repeal our No-fault/PIP system and hike premium rates. We understand the governor continues to give thoughtful consideration to a veto of the Legislature’s ill-conceived, last-minute scheme to flush No-fault/PIP. All he needs now is to hear it from you, your friends, your staff and your patients.