The Melo Minute

What We’ve Been Up To In Tallahassee

Committee Votes

Session has officially kicked off! This past week I’ve attended my committees and voted on several bills. This first section of the newsletter is dedicated to showcasing the bills I’ve voted on, what they are about, and how I voted on them.

HB 241 – Parents’ Bill of Rights

This bill aims to prevent the state from infringing upon the rights of parents to direct their child’s upbringing. HB 241 requires that school districts adopt policies to promote parental involvement, that parents must provide consent before any identification information for their child is collected, that health care practitioners and their employees have parental consent before performing health care services on their minor child, and that parents are notified when a state actor (such as a teacher) suspects a child is the victim of a criminal offense (except if it is reported to DCF).

The committee voted 13-7 in favor of the bill passing. I voted up on HB 241.

HB 1 – Combating Public Disorder

This bill is a response to the violent riots and disorderly protests that have been occurring across the nation. The majority of the bill serves to increase criminal penalties to individuals or groups who cause damage to any person or property while rioting. HB 1 has several other changes to law that all work to ensure the safety of our officers, our businesses, and the public.

The committee voted 10-5 in favor of the bill passing. I voted up on the bill as it protects our communities, our businesses, and our police officers while safeguarding the role of peaceful protests in our republic — peaceful demonstrations.

Bill of the Week:
HB 1505 – Consumer-First Workforce Systems

Getting to Work

This week I had the honor of presenting my first bill in committee: The Consumer-First Workforce System Bill (HB1505)! Thank you to Chair McClain for allowing the bill to be heard in committee and to my colleagues for a unanimous passing vote!

HB 1505 requires CareerSource Florida, the DEO, DOE, and DCF to collaborate and create a single Workforce Information System so that consumers can access services from multiple agencies through one site. This streamlines consumer’s ability to register for workforce training and pre-qualify for benefits all in one location.

This bill also tackles apprenticeships. For instance, this bill requires that the DOE reports data on earnings from those who participate in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. This data collection will provide invaluable insights on the effectiveness of such programs.