Florida minimum wage opt-out bill passes first committee
Floridians voted in 2020 to gradually increase the state minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour by September 2026. But a proposal from Fort Myers Republican Senator Jonathan Martin would allow some employees, like those in apprenticeship programs, work-studies and internships, to opt out of those requirements.
Under the bill, certain employees could offer to work for less than the state’s minimum wage. They would have to knowingly and willingly suspend that right.
Martin says the bill will allow young people with limited experience to exchange getting paid more for getting that experience.
“This gives an individual the freedom to show up at an employer's place a business and say, Hey, I'm willing to sweep floors and learn the job. I'm willing to learn your business in exchange for experience and skills that they could then transfer into the workplace without having to pay to go to college.”
Critics of the measure, like Florida Rising’s Jackson Oberlink, say the bill would provide broad workarounds for the minimum wage amendment. He says the vague definition of “internship” would open the door for employers to reclassify jobs as internships, allowing them to cut pay.
“let's be honest, no worker truly opts out of fair wages. There are zero protections in this bill against coercion, fraud or employer intimidation, meaning bad actors can and will exploit it.”
Orlando Democratic State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith thinks the bill could be an attempt to force a court challenge to the minimum wage amendment.
Some Republicans expressed concerns that it was too broad and said they want changes before its next committee stop.
Term Limits Bill Postponed in Senate
Amid opposition from rural counties, a Senate committee did not take up a proposed constitutional amendment on term limits for county commissioners and school board members.
The legislation had been on the agenda of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, but it was temporarily postponed.
Under the plan, county commissioners and school board members would be limited to eight years of service.
Lawmakers in 2023 approved eight-year term limits for school board members, but a constitutional amendment would make the limits harder to change.
Senator Blaise Ingoglia is the bill sponsor.
“This issue will pass, on the ballot, north of 70 percent. Term limits are very popular with people.”
The measure could be brought up in a future Senate committee meeting.
Similar legislation in the House has not been heard.
If approved, the proposal will go before voters in 2026.
Florida university leaders defend law restricting DEI issues
Florida higher education leaders and university trustees are refuting a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of a law restricting DEI issues on campuses.
Professors at the University of Florida, Florida State University, and Florida International University filed the lawsuit in January in federal court, claiming the 2023 law targets diversity, equity, and inclusion issues at universities and violates the First Amendment.
In a legal memorandum for a preliminary injunction, attorneys argued that through the law, the state “censors speech it disfavors by targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion; political or social activism; and discussions of race and other aspects of identity.”
A response filed by the Board of Governors said, “It is a regulation only upon these universities and enforced only against them. It does not govern any person employed as a professor by the universities.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has scheduled a March 31 hearing on the motion.
More: www.floridatoday.com
