Resistance Report Week 2: Bad Bills Are Moving

We’re heading into week #3 of the legislative session — and there’s a LOT happening. But reinforcements are on the way! Soon, we’ll be welcoming hundreds of volunteers to Tallahassee for our Pride At The Capitol kick-off campaign on Tuesday and Wednesday — and we have a packed schedule! Multiple bad bills are moving through the legislative process, and it’s all hands on deck to fight back against them.

But that’s not all. Earlier this week, Jennifer Solomon — Equality Florida’s Parents and Families Support Manager and the President of Kaleidoscope PTA, which advocates for safe, supportive, and respectful learning environments for ALL students — joined parents from across the state in the Capitol for the Florida PTA’s Legislative Convention. The message from Kaleidoscope PTA was clear: we want policies that protect every student and respect every family.

Our ongoing Pride At The Capitol program is a crucial element of our goal to combat and minimize the impact of bad bills and prepare for legal challenges against any that are passed into law.

But this effort relies heavily on pro-equality supporters like YOU taking action. Your presence in Tallahassee, your stories, and your participation in committee hearings are crucial. We have a phenomenal group joining us in the Capitol next week, but we’re still signing folks up for the weeks beyond to stand with us on the front lines. Whether you can join us for a day or the entire week, find a time that works for you!

If you can’t join us in person, please consider a donation to help us get as many people to Tallahassee as possible. Every dollar counts!

Now, we're going to take you through exactly what happened in Week #2, what's still coming, and how you can take action.

🚨OPPOSE: End Citizen-Led Amendments (HB 1205/SB 7016)🚨
Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

• What it does: These bills attempt to effectively End Citizen-Led Amendments that allow we the people to change the state constitution via statewide referendum. Florida already has some of the strictest requirements in the nation for citizen-led amendments, but this legislation imposes new and insurmountable barriers that put constitutional amendments even further out of reach and consolidate power toward politicians and away from the voters.

• What happened: SB 7016 PASSED out of its first committee by a 6-3 vote this week. Next, it heads to the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee — its final committee in the Senate before it reaches the floor for a full vote.

• How you can help: We need you to contact members of the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 7016.

🚨Anti-Diversity In Local Government (HB 1571/SB 420)🚨
Sponsors: Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. Dean Black

• What it does: These bills prohibit local governments from enacting DEI-related policies, ordinances, or resolutions, and can subject local officials who previously voted for them to removal from office. This outrageous state overreach censors local governments and restricts their ability to respond to community needs and priorities.
• What’s coming: SB 420 has been scheduled for a vote in its first Senate Committee, Community Affairs, on Monday, March 17th at 4:00pm ET.
• How you can help: We need you to contact members of the Senate Community Affairs Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 420.

🚨Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work 2.0 (HB 1495/SB 440)🚨
Sponsors: Sen. Stan McClain and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it does: This bill enacts state regulations on pronoun use in public and certain private workplaces. It shields employees from accountability for anti-trans harassment and intentional misgendering, and prohibits the inclusion of a transgender or nonbinary gender option on any job application or related employment form. The bill also prohibits LGBTQ-related cultural competency training requirements for government workers.
• What’s coming: SB 440 has been scheduled for a vote in its first Senate Committee, Governmental Oversight and Accountability, on Tuesday, March 18th at 3:30pm ET.
• How you can help: We need you to contact members of the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 440.

🚨Banning Diversity & Equity In State Agencies (HB 731/SB 1710)🚨
Sponsors: Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Rep. Lauren Melo

• What it does: This legislation would defund DEI in state agencies and ban state contractors and grantees from using state funds for DEI; the House bill has additional anti-DEI measures for state boards and healthcare education.
• What’s coming: SB 1710 has been scheduled for a vote in its first Senate Committee, Governmental Oversight and Accountability, on Tuesday, March 18th at 3:30pm ET.
• How you can help: We need you to contact members of the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 1710.

🏆 THE GOOD BILLS 🏆

We’re keeping up the pressure on lawmakers to support and co-sponsor these bills, and we need your help.

🏆 The Health Care Freedom Act (HB 823/SB 932) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Anna V. Eskamani and Sen. Shevrin Jones

• Restores Reproductive Rights: Repeals Governor DeSantis’ 6-Week Abortion Ban, reinstating abortion access up until the start of the third trimester, in line with broader medical and legal standards.
• Protects Medical Care For Transgender People: Eliminates restrictions on essential medical care for transgender individuals, ensuring access to treatments supported by leading medical authorities like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association.

🏆 Freedom to Learn Act (HB 811/SB 930) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Angie Nixon and Sen. Tracie Davis

• Safeguards Academic Freedom: Repeals provisions of the Stop WOKE Act and the “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law, protecting the right to teach honest history, discuss systemic injustices, and fully address LGBTQ topics in educational settings.
• Promotes Inclusive Education: Allows higher education institutions to fund DEI programs and activities on campus, and requires the inclusion of LGBTQ history in public education, alongside Holocaust education, African American history, and women's contributions, and restricts book-banning practices by limiting who can raise objections to school materials to only parents of public school students.

Send a message to lawmakers urging them to support the two Freedom bills.

Our public policy team has been reviewing hundreds of bills filed this legislative session. View our full legislative slate of priority bills Equality Florida supports and opposes.

Florida has been setting the example for bad policy that’s now being taken up at the federal level. Earlier this week, we held a virtual briefing with national partners to discuss ways we’re resisting attacks from the Trump Administration in the courts.

As we continue over the next 47 days, we must remember that our voices matter, our actions matter, and our movement matters.