TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he’d signed off on a new batch of nine state laws, adding to the growing list of legislation approved this year.
These laws cover a wide range of issues, including education, insurance, disability services, and even new contingency rules for if the penny goes away.
[RELATED: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approves new ‘One-Cent Piece’ law]
All of the newly signed laws either took effect immediately or will kick off starting in July.
Per legislative analysts, a full breakdown of the new laws is as follows:
SB 124 — Florida Virtual Schools
Senate Bill 124 amends state statutes regarding the Florida Virtual School, which was founded in 1997 to provide students in the state with tech-based educational opportunities.
More specifically, the law makes several technical changes, such as including all full-time and part-time FLVS students for the purposes of full-time equivalent student calculations.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 453 — High School Diplomas
House Bill 453 allows student with disabilities to substitute one school year of participation in the Special Olympics for the P.E. requirement for a standard high school diploma.
Furthermore, the law specifies that two years of marching band satisfies both the one-credit requirement in P.E. and the one-credit requirement in performing arts.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 491 — Faith-Based Content (BIPs)
House Bill 491 allows Batterers’ Intervention Programs (BIPs) to offer supplemental faith-based activities as a voluntary service to participants referred to a BIP by court order or by consent for acts of domestic violence.
That said, the law also preserves current rules, which require all mandatory BIP curricula to be based on a psychoeducational or cognitive behavioral therapy intervention model.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 883 — Insurance Companies
House Bill 883 allows protected cell captive insurance companies to operate and be domiciled in Florida, thus creating a regulatory framework for such companies.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1073 — School Board Bill of Rights
House Bill 1073 establishes a District School Board Members’ Bill of Rights, which does the following:
- Provides members with access to school district documents necessary to fulfill the duties required under the State Constitution and Florida
- Allows members to consult with the district’s CFO on budget information
- Lets members request documents or information from school staff, subject to legal restrictions and administrative approval
- Grants members the ability to publicly comment on district school board business, except for student/employee disciplinary matters or other issues prohibited by law
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 1074 — Penny Extinction
Senate Bill 1074 lets vendors round cash transactions to the nearest nickel if the penny is no longer available. The businesses are expected to round transactions as follows:
- If the final digit ends in 1 or 2 cents? Round to 0 cents.
- If the final digit ends in 3, 4, 6, or 7 cents? Round to 5 cents.
- If the final digit ends in 8 or 9 cents? Round to 10 cents.
However, this doesn’t apply to noncash transactions, such as gift cards, credit cards or checks.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.
[A LOOK BACK: What to know after the penny-rounding bill passed the Florida Senate]
HB 1121 — Disability Services
House Bill 1121 revises aging and disability services provided by the Department of Elder Affairs.
More specifically, the law adds food and nutritional supplements as allowable uses of subsidy payments under the Home Care for the Elderly Program.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1201 — Student Health
House Bill 1201 updates statutory provisions regarding the care of students with epilepsy or seizure disorders and expands the definition of schools to include charter schools.
The law also requires schools to display a poster identifying the basic steps of responding to someone having a seizure.
Lastly, the law requires the FDOH to include required education and training for schools in its epilepsy education program.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 7022 — Public Records (Exam Instruments)
Senate Bill 7022 expands the public records exemption for examination and assessment instruments.
It does so by adding public schools, district school boards, university boards of trustees, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors as additional records custodians.
The law also extends the existing public records exemption through 2031.
The law took effect immediately upon being signed.