TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed another batch of six bills into law, with some taking effect right off the bat.
Among these laws, though, is one that may have a big impact on Florida elections in the future.
That law — HB 991 — was filed back in January by state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Ft. Myers), and it makes several changes to the Florida Election Code.
DeSantis signed off on the law during a news conference in The Villages, where he touted the election security measures imposed by the legislation.
[You can watch the full news conference below]
The bill requires verification of U.S. citizenship during voter registration, mandates paper ballots for all elections and requires congressional candidates to disclose stock trading activity while in office — among many other changes.
You can find the full list of new laws signed on Wednesday below:
HB 91 — Candidate Qualification
House Bill 91 requires that someone who wants to run for office must affirm that he/she hasn’t changed his/her name in the year prior to qualification, with few exceptions.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
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SB 288 — Electric Cooperatives
Senate Bill 288 revises a state statute that prohibits certain bylaws, tariffs and policies from being used by rural electric cooperatives.
Under this law, the statute is limited to only those cooperatives that sell electricity at retail.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 572 — Public Ethics
Senate Bill 572 revises the term “relative” in the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees to include foster parents and foster children.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
HB 991 — Elections
House Bill 991 makes several revisions to the Florida Election Code, including:
- Driver’s License: Requires the state to include a person’s legal status on any new, replacement or renewal driver’s licenses and ID cards
- Voter Oath: Voter registration applicants must affirm that they are U.S. citizens and may face criminal penalties for perjury if that is not the case
- Forms of ID: Debit/credit cards, student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood association IDs, and public assistance IDs are no longer acceptable forms of identification for voters
- Campaign Contributions: Political parties and candidates may not willfully accept a contribution from a foreign national in connection with any election held in the state.
- Federal Courts: Requires the state to provide voter registration lists to federal courts to aid in their jury selection process, and requires those courts to provide the state with information about voters being ineligible due to convictions, death, or being a non-U.S. citizen
- Statute of Limitations: Creates a five-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of a felony under the Election Code
- New Penalties: Provides new fines and penalties for those who violate the law of involvement of foreign nationals in state elections
- Early Voting: Election supervisors must use local time when uploading the results of all early voting and vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. the day before the election
The law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
SB 7006 — Public Records (Florida PSC)
Senate Bill 7006 continues a public records exemption for for portions of hearings conducted by the Florida Public Service Commission.
More specifically, this exemption extends to proprietary confidential business information that is already exempt under state law.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
SB 7016 — Public Records (Loan Programs)
Senate Bill 7016 continues a public records exemption for certain details held by an economic development agency pursuant to the administration of a state/federally funded small business loan program.
More specifically, the exemption protects tax returns, financial information and credit information.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.