The Florida House passed a slew of bills on Thursday, the third day of session.
It approved many of them last year, too — bills that had died in the Senate.
"I believe that we have some hope that the Senate can hopefully move some of these bills that they haven't moved before,” said House Speaker Daniel Perez. “But that's something that is up to [Senate President Ben Albritton], and he will lead his chamber how he chooses to do so, and I will respect that either way."
Here’s what you need to know about the eight bills that passed:
Phosphate landowner protections
The House passed a bill, HB 167, to create a new legal shield for people who own land once mined for phosphate. It helps owners remove what's called “strict liability” if someone sues over harms caused by pollution.
This means the landowner wouldn't be automatically responsible for harm simply because they own the land. Those suing would have to show the owner did something wrong or contributed to the problem.
The shield only goes to owners who record a public notice about the land with the county and have the state Department of Health run a radiation survey.
Bill sponsor Republican Rep. Lawrence McClure of Dover says the current standards aren’t fair to landowners and his bill increases transparency.
Opponents worry it weakens environmental accountability and doesn't do enough to make sure people know about nearby former phosphate mining land, which has pollution risks like high radiation levels.
“I believe that this bill will have the unintended consequence of putting future families at risk, particularly those in our renting community,” said Rep. Lindsay Cross, D-St. Petersburg, who joined other Democrats in voting against the bill.
A similar bill got through the House last year but died in the Senate.
“We're going to send this bill over early,” McClure said. “They're going to have plenty of time to think through it.”
Senate President Ben Albritton called it an “important bill" when asked at a Tuesday press conference.
Lawsuits against government
Representatives approved a measure, HB 145, that increases how much someone can get from governments through the state court system for negligence lawsuits.
The current caps were set in 2010. This legislation would raise them from $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident to $500,000 per person and $1,000,000 per incident.
In 2031, it would go up to $600,000 per person and $1,200,000 per incident.
That’s the most a government is legally obligated to pay. But currently, if someone injured by governmental negligence seeks more money than the cap allows, it has to be through a claims bill in the Legislature.
This bill would let local governments pay more than that cap without getting legislative approval.
“Today, if you or I are one of our loved ones are, God forbid, to be hit by a truck, we have to pay attention to whether on the side of that truck there is a corporate logo, no logo or a government seal,” said Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, the bill sponsor.
“Depending on what that vehicle is and who is driving that vehicle, we have different access to monetary wholeness, and that doesn't sit right with me,” she continued.
The bill received no debate on the House floor and seven “no” votes, mainly from Republicans. Some local governments say this will negatively affect their budgets.
Fetus wrongful death
Another approved measure, HB 289, would allow parents to file wrongful death lawsuits over the loss of a fetus.
“This bill will allow grieving parents to recover in the tragic circumstances in which they wrongfully lose their unborn child,” said Rep. Sam Greco, R-St. Augustine, a bill sponsor. The proposal would apply to a fetus at any stage of development.
“This bill is for the mother who, driving home from work six months pregnant, gets slammed by a drunk driver, and right now cannot recover for the wrongful death of that unborn child,” he added.
The bill says wrongful death actions can't be brought against a mother. It also says the same for medical providers for “lawful medical care provided in compliance with the applicable standard of care,” including related to “assisted reproductive technologies.”
But Democrats view this legislation as an extension of debates over abortion, which Florida has severely restricted in recent years. They also view it as too broad and warn it could lead to excessive litigation.
“This is opening Pandora’s box for the state of Florida,” said Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston.
It passed 76-34, with the no votes mostly coming from Democrats.
Similar legislation has failed in the past, dying in the Senate last year.
Death by medical negligence
If you’re an unmarried, childless Floridian who’s at least 25, no one is able to sue on your behalf if you die from medical negligence.
This bill, HB 6003, changes that.
“Bad outcomes don't necessarily mean medical malpractice, but there is medical malpractice,” said Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, a bill sponsor. “When there is, we should be able to hold someone accountable.”
It passed with bipartisan support, but 17 Republicans voted against it.
This effort made it through the Legislature last year, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed it, saying it could “open floodgates” for litigation.
Gun buying age
The House has passed yet another bill, HB 133, lowering the age to buy long guns, like shotguns and assault rifles.
Lawmakers raised the age from 18 to 21 years old following the 2018 massacre at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“I will not even attempt to assign words to the horror and the pain and the tragedy that occurred in Parkland,” said Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, a bill sponsor. “But this bill, as it’s presented today, presents a fundamental question: should government diminish the rights of law-abiding people in response to criminals?”
Democrats said the bill would lead to more gun violence, citing data showing higher rates of gun violence among younger people.
“Opening up the ability for 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds — which is what this state did in the past — created the pathway for someone to legally purchase a firearm and murder children,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando. “It’s why this body in a bipartisan fashion came together to say enough is enough.”
Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted “no.”
The House has passed this measure over multiple sessions, but the Senate has refused to do the same so far.
E-Verify expansion
E-Verify is a federal online platform that employers use to check worker eligibility.
Florida law currently only requires companies with 25 or more employees use the service. The Florida House OK’d legislation, HB 197, that requires all employers to do so.
“If this bill passes, it will expose a lot of lawbreakers that are harming Floridians, harming law-abiding people who want to get into the workforce, harming law-abiding businesses,” said Republican Rep. Berny Jacques from Seminole, a bill sponsor.
It was approved by an 80-30 vote, with mostly Democrats voting against.
Democrats said implementing E-Verify would burden small businesses, calling the system “unreliable,” which Jacques disagreed with.
“Why do we need to come down heavy handed with this government mandate that forces unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on our well-meaning small businesses?” said Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami.
This expansion passed the House last year but died in the Senate.
Nursing education programs
Florida ranked last in 2024 in the national licensing exam nurses have to pass before they can work.
House lawmakers aim to improve scores through a bill, HB 121, they passed Thursday.
“This is not acceptable,” said Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City. “Not only do we fail to address our nursing shortage, but it leaves students who are unable to pass the [test] with high student loan debts and no ability to earn an income.”
The bill increases requirements and regulatory standards on Florida nursing education programs, including stricter oversight of programs with low exam pass rates.
It passed with only one vote against.
Health care patient protections
Another bill the House passed Thursday, HB 355, is designed to make hospital emergency rooms better prepared to treat children.
“We have excellent children's hospitals and excellent emergency departments,” said Rep. Vanessa Oliver, R-Punta Gorda. “The vast majority of Florida's children receive emergency care in general hospitals, but only a small percentage of [emergency departments] nationwide meet evidence-based pediatric readiness standards.”
It says each hospital with an emergency department must “develop and implement policies and procedures for pediatric patient care.” They must also train for health emergency situations involving children and have a designated “pediatric emergency care coordinator.”
It also requires the state to develop minimum standards for emergency department pediatric care, and it requires emergency rooms to do national pediatric readiness assessments.
It passed unanimously.
The bill passed the House last year, too, but didn’t make it through the Senate.
If you have any questions about state government or the legislative process, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
