Prior to the start of Session, legislators filed a total of 1,783 bills, including general bills, local bills, memorials, and resolutions. The deadline for the drafting of general bills, memorials and joint resolutions was January 5th for both chambers, and the last day for filing bills is January 9th at noon.
The following is a sampling of the bills that have been filed:
K-12 Education The Senate has proposed the following changes to education statutes. The House has not yet filed their respective legislation.
- Additional funds could be used by school districts to offer financial incentives to bus drivers.
- School districts could decide if it is necessary to make up days lost to hurricanes or other emergencies.
- For districts who are out of compliance with class size laws, this bill removes the requirement for school districts to develop a plan listing the specific actions they will take to get into compliance.
- District school boards would be authorized to use advanced degrees in setting salary schedules for instructional personnel.
- Repeal requirements that high-school students pass the state’s standardized English-language arts exam in 10th grade.
- Districts would be given flexibility to structure the 100 required minutes of recess per week at schools.
Other education-related bills include:
- Outlining requirements for the teaching of computer science in K-12 schools;
- Requiring virtual instruction program providers and virtual charter schools to provide specified information to school districts; and
- Stipulating charter schools to comply with corporal punishment laws.
Ballot Boxes These bills would require a law enforcement officer to transport ballot boxes or ballot transfer containers from a supervisor of elections office to a precinct and require that all ballot boxes and ballot transfer containers be supervised by a law enforcement officer at all times.
County Term Limits Two bills have been filed that would establish eight-year term limits for county commissioners and prohibit them from seeking certain offices until after a specified time frame.