Resistance Report Week 7: Only 12 days to defeat these bad bills

Before we dive into this week’s Resistance Report, we want to extend our deepest condolences to the Florida State University community. We’re heartbroken by the devastating mass shooting that took place on Thursday, April 17th. Our hearts are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by yet another horrific act of gun violence.

We should not — and do not have to — live like this. Students and teachers deserve to feel safe in classrooms, not fearful of senseless gun violence.

We remain as deeply committed today as we were nearly nine years ago, in the aftermath of the massacre at Pulse, to fight for common-sense gun legislation. We are not helpless. This violence is preventable, and we must replace empty thoughts and prayers with real, life-saving action. We stand shoulder to shoulder with lawmakers like Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who helped defeat a dangerous campus carry bill earlier this session that would have put more guns on college and university campuses. 

For those needing support, Everytown for Gun Safety has released trauma-informed resources for the community.

Graphic from FSU Division of Student Affairs.

We’re 12 days away from the end of the 60 most dangerous days in Florida — the legislative session.

With the work we’ve done together, we’ve made real progress. This week, the dangerous attack on citizen-led amendments was held back from a Senate Floor vote, an important step that came out of sustained pressure from people like you.

Still, while we've come a long way over the past seven weeks, we can’t lose our focus. The final stretch is when some of the worst bills get fast-tracked. We must be ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice.

Here’s a deep dive into everything that happened this week, and how you can take action...

This week, Florida’s youth came in full force for Florida Youth Power Days. Through a statewide coalition of organizations, they organized meetings, delivered powerful testimony, and lobbied lawmakers on everything directly impacting their community. Once again, our youth continue to demonstrate that they are the present and future of this movement. 

Pride at The Capitol Volunteers meeting with lawmakers and attending committee hearings. 

Our ongoing Pride At The Capitol program is a crucial element of our work to stop or 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. Your presence in Tallahassee, your stories, and your voices in committee hearings are making a real difference. We’ll be in the Capitol every day for the remainder of the session, and we need you there with us.

Join us on the frontlines by signing up to support our effort in-person during any of the remaining days ahead.

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 makes an impact! 

This week’s WINNER is Rep. Kelly Skidmore. She jumped in on short notice to stand in for one of her colleagues in a committee hearing on the bill Defunding Advocacy in Schools (HB 1255/SB 1618) and Expanding Book Banning (HB 1539/SB 1692) and made her presence count. She asked sharp, pressing questions to bring attention to the harms of the bills’ language and raise compelling, common-sense debate. Rep. Skidmore's action is a powerful reminder that showing up and speaking out makes an impact that doesn't go unnoticed. 

This week’s LOSER is Casey DeSantis. New reporting reveals that Hope Florida Foundation, a non-profit launched by the First Lady, received $10 million in public Medicaid settlement money and redistributed it through dark money groups to fund political campaigning against citizen-led amendments during the 2024 election. Actions like these evidence how grift and insider dealing are alive and well in our state and harming the public to further personal political agendas.

🚨Attacking Citizen-Led Amendments (HB 1205/SB 7016)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Erin Grall

• 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’s coming: Originally, SB 7016 was scheduled for a full vote in the Senate this past week, but it was removed from the floor agenda. We must keep up the pressure on our lawmakers. As a priority of Governor DeSantis, we know there is significant pressure for either SB 7016 or HB 1205 to have a final vote in the Senate in the coming days. 

• How you can help: Contact your Senator and urge them to vote NO on this bill.

🚨Voter Suppression Bill (HB 1381)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

• What it does: This bill would make it significantly harder for eligible Floridians to register to vote and stay on the voter rolls, akin to the SAVE Act that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It is the latest attempt to suppress voters in Florida under the guise of “security” and "integrity" by adding citizenship verification hurdles, increased surveillance through agencies like the DMV, and expanded state power to purge voters from the rolls.

• What’s Coming: Your pressure is working! This voter suppression bill wasn’t heard in committee this week. But we can’t slow down now. Reach out and make sure lawmakers know you oppose this bad bill.

• How you can help: Contact lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee and urge them to vote no on HB 1381.

🚨Expanding Book Banning (HB 1539/SB 1692)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Doug Bankson and Sen. Stan McClain

• What it does: This bill would increase book banning in Florida’s K-12 schools by targeting classic literary novels for censorship and rejecting a longstanding constitutional standard in order to make it easier to object to educational materials. Parents have long had the opportunity to challenge content in Florida’s schools, but under recent state laws, authoritarian practices like banning books and censoring curricula have drastically increased. Florida already leads the nation in book-banning, with over 4,500 books banned during the last school year. Further limiting students’ access to books does not protect students, it makes them less prepared to succeed.

• What happened: HB 1539 PASSED by a 14-5 vote out of its final committee in the House. Now, it’s scheduled for a final vote on the House floor this Thursday, April 24 at 1:00pm ET.  

• How you can help: Contact your representative right away and urge them to vote NO on HB 1539.

🚨Defunding Advocacy in Schools (HB 1255/SB 1618)🚨

Sponsors: Rep. Dana Trabulsy and Sen. Alexis Calatayud

• What it does: An alarming provision in this education bill would prohibit public schools, school districts, and charter schools from spending any state or federal funding on any programs or activities that advocate for or engage in undefined “political or social activism.” These programs and activities can help teach critical thinking and other important skills. A similar funding ban in higher education led to universities shutting down critical programs and activities that help a diverse range of students learn and thrive.

• What happened: HB 1255 PASSED by a 17-4 vote out of its final House committee. During the bill hearing, the sponsor committed to address concerns that Equality Florida and lawmakers raised regarding the provision defunding “political and social activism” in schools. The bill passed with a good amendment that added a parental opt-out from an instructional video on embryonic development that has attracted opposition as potential anti-abortion content, despite the sponsor’s disagreement with that assessment. Now, HB 1255 is scheduled for a final vote on the House floor this Wednesday, April 23rd at 10:00am ET.

• How you can help: Contact your representative to urge them to vote NO on HB 1255.

🚨Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (HB 1505/SB 1288)🚨

Sponsors: Sen. Erin Grall and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it does: The Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (also known as Restricting Minors’ Access to Health Care) would restrict minors’ access to birth control, STI testing and treatment, and more without parental consent. Our public health system should prioritize young peoples’ ability to take responsibility for their health and proactively minimize health risks. The bill has already received bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

• What’s coming: SB 1288 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, its final committee of reference in the Senate, on Monday, April 21st at 2:00pm ET.

• How you can help: Contact lawmakers right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 1288/HB 1505. Young people deserve to protect and advocate for their health without unnecessary barriers.

With just 12 days left, we must remember that every call & email, every share, and every voice counts - and we’ll be in Tallahassee until the final gavel falls.

We must remember that our voices matter, our actions matter, and our movement matters.

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok for the latest updates. 

Together, we will resist, and we will make a difference. 

Onward,

Team Equality Florida