Following up with our Federal Government Relations (GR) Team's analysis of the federal stimulus bill passed last week, our firm will be hosting a webinar, Federal and State Analysis of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, at
Bill Action Update
Transportation
SB 44 Drones expands the possibilities for drone use by law enforcement agencies, fire departments, state agencies, and political subdivisions. The bill creates additional exceptions for law enforcement agency drone use found in s. 934.50(4), F.S. The new exceptions allow law enforcement agencies to use drones to:
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Gain an aerial perspective of a crowd of 50 or more persons;
- Assist with traffic management, except that the agency may not issue a traffic infraction based on images or video captured by a drone; and
- Facilitate evidence collection at a crime scene or traffic crash scene.
- Support Healthcare Heroes
- Inter Miami CF
- Toastmasters
- Gopher Tortoise
- Orlando United
Biscayne Bay - Margaritaville
- Protect Marine Wildlife
- Disease Prevention and Early Detection
Honor Flight - Ethical Ecotourism
- Requires each state university board of trustees to adopt procedures to connect undergraduate students to career planning, coaching, and related programs during the first academic year of the student's enrollment.
- Modifies general eligibility for state financial aid by: o Requiring the BOG,
State Board of Education (SBE), and the Independent Colleges and Universities ofFlorida (ICUF) to each identify and publish a list of career certificate, undergraduate, and graduate degree programs that do not lead directly to employment. - Establishes the
Florida Bright Opportunities Grant Program for Pell Grant-eligible students with a tuition and registration fee balance at aFlorida College System (FCS) institution or career center after application of all federal gift aid and state financial assistance. - Specifying that beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, the number of credit hours funded under a Bright Futures award is reduced by the number of credit hours earned through articulated acceleration mechanisms which are accepted by the postsecondary educational institution
- Creating additional alternative eligibility options for FAS and FMS awards for students who earn an associate degree through dual enrollment or who earn an Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma.
- Specifying that, beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, the authorization to use the unused portion of a FAS or FMS for graduate study must be for a program not on the approved list by the BOG, SBE, or ICUF.
- Establishes the Florida Endeavor Scholarship Program for students without a high school diploma or equivalent who are enrolled at a career center or
FCS institution. - Clarifies that postsecondary tuition and fee exemptions apply to a student who is currently in the custody of the
Department of Children and Families or a specified relative or nonrelative, or who was at the time he or she reached 18 years of age - An aviation maintenance school which is located in
Florida , certified by theFederal Aviation Administration , and licensed by theCommission for Independent Education . - inform each user about any changes to its user rules, terms, and agreements before implementing the changes and may not make changes more than once every 30 days.
- notify the user within 30 days of censoring or deplatforming.
- provide a user with information relating to the number of other individuals who were provided or shown the user's content or posts upon request by the user.
- provide users with an opt out of post-prioritization and shadow banning algorithms to allow sequential or chronological posts and content.
- ensure that candidates for office in
Florida are not deplatformed and that their posts are not shadow banned. - ensure that journalistic enterprises are not censored, deplatformed, or shadow banned.
The bill authorizes state agencies and political subdivisions to use drones for damage assessment due to a flood, wildfire, or natural disaster, or for vegetation and wildlife management purposes on publicly owned land or water. The bill also allows certified fire department personnel to use drones to perform tasks within the scope and practice authorized under their certification.
SB 44 requires policies and procedures, that include certain guidelines, for law enforcement agencies that use a drone to gain an aerial perspective of a crowd of 50 or more people. The guidelines must address the storage, retention, and release of images or video captured by the drone. The guidelines must also address the personal safety and constitutional protections of the persons being observed. The agency head must provide written authorization for the use of a drone in this manner. SB 44 passed the
SB 676 Specialty License Plates creates 12 new specialty license plates, including the following:
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Florida State Parks
The bill also creates one new special military plate for recipients of the Army of Occupation Award, amends three existing specialty license plates (
HB 1113 Traffic and Pedestrian Safety requires a traffic engineering conducted by a
The bill requires, by
Additionally, by
HB 1113 passed the House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee and has two more stops remaining.
Higher Education
SB 86 Student Financial Aid modifies provisions relating to postsecondary financial aid programs, and establishes new financial aid programs for Pell Grant eligible students and students without a high school diploma. Specifically, the bill:
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Requires the
Modifies the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program by:
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Changing the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) and Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) awards to an amount specified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The bill also:
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Specifies that the 2021-2022 academic year is the final year of initial eligibility for nonresident students to qualify for the Benacquisto Scholarship Program, and modifies the award to as specified in the GAA.
SB 86 passed the
HB 1423 Florida Private Student Assistance Grant Program authorizes the following postsecondary institutions to participate in the Florida Postsecondary Student Assistance Grant Program (FSAG Postsecondary):
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A competency-based nonprofit virtual postsecondary institution that is accredited by a member of the
The bill authorizes a full-time degree seeking student who is accepted at the competency-based nonprofit virtual postsecondary institution or a full-time certificate seeking student accepted at the aviation maintenance school to be eligible to receive an FSAG Postsecondary grant.
The bill authorizes a full-time certificate seeking student to be eligible for a FSAG Postsecondary award for up to 110 percent of the number of clock hours required to complete the program in which the student is enrolled. HB 1423 passed the House Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee and has two more stops remaining. The
Regulatory
SB 566
The bill applies to peer-to-peer car-sharing programs the 6 percent tax, and the
The bill requires that the program ensure that during the car-sharing period, the shared vehicle owner (owner) and shared vehicle driver (driver) are insured to at least the minimum statutory requirements for property damage liability, bodily injury liability, personal injury protection, and uninsured motorists coverage. The program must assume liability for damages that may occur during the car-sharing period in amounts that may not be less than the minimum statutory coverage requirements for BI, PD, PIP, and UM, with exceptions. SB 566 passed Senate Banking and Insurance with two references remaining.
SB 982
SB 982 passed the
SB 1208 Resiliency Energy Environment Florida (REEF) Program substantially amends the Property Assessed Clean Energy program, which allows property owners to make qualifying improvements to real property and finance the cost through annual non-ad valorem tax assessments. Qualifying improvements are those that enhance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and wind resistance.
The bill names the program the Resiliency Energy Environment Florida program and expands qualifying improvements to include wastewater treatment, flood and water damage mitigation, health and environmental hazards mitigation, and water conservation and efficiency projects.
The bill allows governmental leased property to qualify for the program. The bill also enhances protections for consumers entering into PACE contracts. SB 1208 passed the
HB 7013 Technology Transparency prohibits social media platforms from deplatforming statewide candidates and allows the
The bill provides that a social media platform must:
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publish standards used for determining how to censor, deplatform, and shadow ban users, and apply such standards in a consistent manner.
A social media platform that fails to comply with these requirements may be found in violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by the
If a social media platform has been convicted of or has been held civilly liable for state or federal antitrust violations, such platform, or an affiliate of such, may be placed on the Antitrust Violator Vendor List by the
The bill allows the
COVID -19 Liability Update
The
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