A measure that opponents worried would help to establish fetal personhood in Florida has stalled in its final committee and is now unlikely to pass this session. Regan McCarthy reports the bill would have added the term “unborn child” to the state’s wrongful death statute, allowing parents to sue if a wrongful act causes the loss of a pregnancy.
Parental choice could be added to a controversial child labor bill. Tristan Wood reports that Zephyrhills Republican Senator Danny Burgess filed an amendment after the original proposal passed the House that would require businesses to get parent’s permission to schedule older teens for more than 30 hours a week. (issue pending in Senate Rules, HB 49)
When a British band called “The Who” were just getting started, one of their first hits was a little ditty called “The Kids are All Right.” But in Florida right now, it seems the kids may not be all right at all. It’s an issue that’s dominated conversations in the Florida Legislature this year as lawmakers seek a myriad of way to address growing mental health concerns around children. One idea they’ve had is to allow chaplains – people of religious faith – to come into schools to provide mentorship and counseling. As Lynn Hatter reports, that’s NOT sitting well with some people.
Florida is trying to walk a tightrope between restricting social media access for young people, while preventing those platforms from limiting the speech of adult users. Attorney General Ashley Moody spoke about that after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the issue today.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is adding millions of dollars toward disaster relief initiatives. The governor says additional funding will hopefully get Floridians back on their feet after Hurricane Idalia destroyed parts of the Big Bend. Adrian Andrews has more.