2023 Legislative Highlights | Week of March 6-10, 2023

Week One of the 2023 Legislative Session has concluded. It was a productive week for FFF-supported items, with school choice legislation, student outcomes legislation and early literacy bills moving quickly in each chamber.  

Universal School Choice Legislation Poised for Action in the House of Representatives 

Speaker Paul Renner’s top education priority, HB1, which would establish universal education savings accounts, is ready to be deliberated on the House floor. The bill passed the House Education Committee and the House Education Quality Subcommittee with bipartisan support. While in the Education Quality Subcommittee, the bill was amended to include provisions related to public school deregulation that are included in the Senate version of the bill. The bill would:  

• Create universal education savings accounts that would expand eligibility to all Florida families. 
• Expand the growth rate of the Family Empowerment Scholarship from 1% to 3% to accommodate the approximately 9,000 families currently on the waitlist.  

• Create a new personalized education program (capped at 10,000 scholarships in the first year) that would allow families to customize their child’s education experience – separate from private school tuition – using an education savings account. 
• Require Florida’s State Board of Education to provide recommendations to the legislature on how to reduce regulations on public schools based on the input of schools, districts, superintendents, teachers and others.  
• Require the Department of Education to create an online portal of Florida’s school choice programs that parents can use to learn about their education options. 
• Expand temporary certification of teachers from three years to five years and provide greater flexibility for teachers to become certified via their performance in the classroom.  

The Senate companion bill, SB202 by Sen. Corey Simon, passed the Senate Education Appropriations Committee. The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

Student Outcomes Legislation Filed  

The House Subcommittee on Education Quality published and unanimously passed HB7039, which would strengthen the state’s early literacy policies. This legislation incorporates recommendations from the Foundation for Florida’s Future math and reading policies. The bill would prohibit the use of three-cueing practices across the state including in educator preparation programs. Additionally, the bill would require schools to identify students struggling in math and provide additional personalized interventions for these students. The Senate’s companion bill, SB1424 by Sen. Alexis Calatayud, is pending a first hearing. 

House Workshop Changes the Florida Education Finance Program  

On Thursday, the House PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee held a workshop on updating the state’s education funding formula. The workshop focused on some of the current challenges that exist within the funding structure, particularly as it relates to scholarships. Currently, Florida students are funded based on two sources of money: the base student allocation, which is the foundation of Florida’s per-pupil funding; and categorical, which are funds that serve designated purposes within education (transportation, instructional materials, etc.). The House is exploring ways to update, and potentially simplify, the funding formula. 

Paycheck Protection Legislation Passes First Senate Committee 

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia’s SB256, which would prohibit public employee unions (apart from first responders) from paying their union dues directly from their paycheck, passed the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee. Additionally, the bill would provide the state with greater accountability and oversight into these unions. The bill now moves to the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee. The House companion bill, HB1445 by Rep. Dean Black, is pending a second reading in the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee.