09 Nov Legislative Update 11-2-21
BPW/SPP Members: We are again at the time of an election and by the time you are reading this the election for the Mayor of St. Petersburg has begun, or possibly ended. I hope that all of you who live in St. Petersburg voted early or planned a trip to your polling place into your day’s travel.
Pursuant to our Public Policy Platform Item 1 – Equality for all, your legislative committee is in support of and watching the progress of HB-111: Offenses Evidencing Prejudice and SB-308: Crimes Evidencing Prejudice, which are being filed to expand grounds for reclassification of offenses to include prejudice based on gender or gender identity of any person; specifies reclassification occurs if commission of offenses is based on prejudice towards any person on specified grounds; replaces term “mental or physical disability” with term “disability”; defines “disability.”
We continue to watch HB-167. There is no related senate bill pending. Florida Fight For Repo Freedom (FRF) the organization that was organized as a result of the recent March for reproductive rights, is forming a working group to plan a mobilization trip to Tallahassee, January 11 – 13, 2022. Their goal is to fundraise so that they organization can cover the cost of bus and hotel for up to 5,000 people statewide to rally in Tallahassee. This is one week prior to the official “Lobby Days”. We will keep you posted as to BPW/SPP and/or BPW/FL participation in this event.
Jerri Evans,
Legislative Chair