Florida Bill Tracking And State Guide
Everything you need to know to engage with the Senate and House
How does a bill become law in Florida?
- Drafting the Bill: A Representative requests a bill from House Bill Drafting Services, providing details or a general idea. A bill drafter helps finalize the draft, which is then assigned a bill number.
- First Reading: The bill is published with its number, sponsor, and a short description in the House Journal. The Speaker refers it to committees.
- Committee Review: Committees review the bill. The Chair decides which bills are heard. Many bills can "die" if not heard.
- Second Reading: If favorable, the bill is placed on the House Calendar for a second reading, where it is explained and questions are asked.
- Third Reading: After the second reading, the bill goes to third reading for final discussion before the vote.
- House Vote: Members vote on the bill. If passed, it is sent to the Senate with a message.
- Senate Process: The Senate may pass the bill, amend it, send it to committee, or defeat it. If amended, it returns to the House for consideration.
- Final Form: If the Senate passes the bill without amendments, the House creates an "enrolled" version, which is sent to the Governor.
- Governor's Consideration: The Governor can sign the bill, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it. A veto can be overridden by a 2/3 vote in the Legislature.
How can a member of the public get involved in the legislative process in Florida?
A member of the public can get involved in the legislative process in Florida in several ways:
1. Contacting Legislators: Individuals can reach out to their state representatives or senators to express their opinions, provide input, or advocate for specific issues or bills. This can be done through phone calls, emails, or in-person meetings.
2. Attending Committee Meetings: Citizens can attend committee hearings where bills are discussed. This allows them to stay informed on the legislative process and voice their opinions during public comment periods.
3. Participating in Public Hearings: Public hearings are held to gather input from the community on specific legislation. Community members can attend and provide testimony regarding their views on the bills being considered.
4. Joining Advocacy Groups: Many organizations focus on specific issues (e.g., education, healthcare, environment) and actively lobby for changes in legislation. Joining these groups can amplify an individual's voice and involvement.
5. Staying Informed: Keeping track of bills and legislative sessions throughout the legislative process can help the public stay engaged and aware of important issues.
6. Using Social Media: Engaging with legislators and sharing opinions on social media platforms can raise awareness and build support for specific legislative initiatives.
7. Voting: Participating in elections is essential for influencing who represents them in the legislature and the types of laws that are enacted. Voting on ballot initiatives can also impact legislation directly.
How can FastDemocracy help me with that?
Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Florida every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.
FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.
FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features
- real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
- automated reporting
- team collaboration
- bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
- bill similarity detection
- ...and much more
How do I track bills in Florida?
1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.
2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.
3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.
4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.
5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.
6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.
7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.
How do I find my local Florida Senator and Representative?
You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.
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Most tracked bills in Florida, 2026 Regular Session
Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in Death; Removes provision precluding certain persons from recovering damages for medical negligence resulting in death.
Last Action
Added to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee agenda
House • Oct 08, 2025Latest Version
Oct 15, 2025 11:30am
Sumner Hall (404 HOB)
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Autonomous Practice; Authorizing certain advanced practice registered nurses to engage in autonomous practice to provide mental health services as defined by rule of the Board of Nursing, etc.
Last Action
Filed
Senate • Oct 08, 2025Latest Version
Treatment of Inmates; Specifies rights of inmates in state correctional system; requires written copy of rights to be provided to each inmate; authorizes relief for deprivation of rights; revises definition of "permanently incapacitated inmate" for purposes of conditional medical release.
Last Action
Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
House • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Public Postsecondary Safety Policies and Procedures; Requires state universities & FCS institutions to adopt & implement specified policies & procedures relating to safety; provides requirements for policies & procedures; & requires annual review & updates policies & procedures.
Last Action
Now in Education Administration Subcommittee
House • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Water Safety Requirements for the Rental of Residential Property; Requires that certain dwelling units, premises, & residential property be equipped with specified pool safety requirements; provides criminal penalty.
Last Action
Now in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
House • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Protection of Specified Persons Against the Fraudulent and Exploitative Conveyance of Property Interests; Revising the list of persons who must report abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults to include the clerk of the court; requiring that any deed or instrument purporting to convey real property or an interest therein be executed in the presence of a specified number of independent witnesses; authorizing a specified adult to file with the clerk the contact information of a trusted person; requiring the clerk to refer an objection to a not-for-profit legal aid organization to investigate whether the deed or instrument was obtained through fraudulent or exploitative means, etc.
Last Action
Filed
Senate • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Contract Protection for Elderly Persons and Disabled Adults; Creating the “Elderly and Disabled Adult Contract Protection Act”; requiring that all contracts involving an elderly person or a disabled adult be in that person’s primary language; requiring a contracting party to conduct a comprehensive review of the contract before an elderly person or disabled adult signs the contract; requiring a contracting party to record a video that depicts the contracting process and the elderly person or disabled adult signing the contract, etc.
Last Action
Filed
Senate • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Florida Virtual School; Deleting provisions relating to the Florida Virtual School giving priority to certain students; providing that the board of trustees may use supplemental funding sources to develop a state-of-the-art technology-based education delivery system; authorizing the Florida Virtual School to accrue supplemental revenue from direct-support organizations; revising which entities review and approve expenditures, etc.
Last Action
Filed
Senate • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Corporal Punishment; Prohibits school district employees from using corporal punishment on public school students.
Last Action
Filed
House • Oct 07, 2025Latest Version
Parity for Nonnursing Services Under Long-term Managed Care Plans; Beginning on a specified date, requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to reimburse nonnursing services provided by licensed providers at the same rate or higher than the rate it reimburses unlicensed providers for such services under the Medicaid long-term managed care program; requiring the agency annually to adjust the rate for licensed providers, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Rules
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Medicaid Providers; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to include specified requirements in its contracts with Medicaid managed care plans; defining the term “outside of regular business hours”, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Fiscal Policy
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Specific Medical Diagnoses in Child Protective Investigations; Providing an exception to the requirement that the Department of Children and Families immediately forward certain allegations to a law enforcement agency; requiring a child protective investigator to inform the subject of an investigation of a certain duty; requiring Child Protection Teams to consult with a licensed physician or advanced practice registered nurse when evaluating certain reports; authorizing, under a certain circumstance, a parent or legal custodian from whom a child was removed to request specified examinations of the child, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Fiscal Policy
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Housing; Authorizing a landlord to accept reusable tenant screening reports and require a specified statement; defining the term “primary dwelling unit”; requiring, rather than authorizing, local governments to adopt, by a specified date, an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units in certain areas; requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to evaluate the efficacy of using mezzanine finance and the potential of tiny homes for specified purposes, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Community Affairs; Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Rules
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Veterans Affairs; Revising the admissions process for veterans treatment court programs; authorizing the court, in consultation with the multidisciplinary team, to determine eligibility for veterans treatment court programs; authorizing sentencing courts to divert defendants to veterans treatment court programs under certain circumstances, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Criminal Justice; Judiciary; Rules
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel Membership in the Senior Management Service Class; Providing that participation in the Senior Management Service Class of the Florida Retirement System is compulsory for each district’s assistant regional counsel supervisors, beginning on a specified date, etc. APPROPRIATION: $950,000
Last Action
Referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Appropriations
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Step-therapy Protocols; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to approve drug products for Medicaid recipients for the treatment of serious mental illness without step-therapy prior authorization under certain circumstances; directing the agency to include rate impacts resulting from the act in certain rates that become effective on a specified date, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Fiscal Policy
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Individual Education Plans; Requiring a school district to complete an evaluation to determine if a student is eligible for an individualized education plan (IEP) within a specified timeframe; providing that a parent or guardian has the right to request provider logs or notes within a specified timeframe; requiring each school district to provide an individualized orientation to each parent or guardian of a student newly identified to be eligible for exceptional student education services, etc.
Last Action
Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; Rules
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Treatment of Inmates; Specifying certain rights of inmates in the correctional system; requiring that a written copy of the rights be provided to each inmate upon his or her entry into the correctional system; revising the definition of the term “permanently incapacitated inmate” for purposes of conditional medical release, etc.
Last Action
Filed
Senate • Oct 06, 2025Latest Version
Political Activities on School Grounds; Provides that certain activities are allowed on school grounds; authorizes candidates to be invited to speak as candidates on school grounds if certain conditions are met; prohibits certain political activities on school grounds; prohibits certain employees from using e-mail, offices, or time during working hours for political advocacy; provides criminal penalties for persons who violate specified provisions; provides that each such violation is separate offense.
Last Action
Withdrawn prior to introduction
House • Oct 03, 2025Latest Version
Criminal Offenses Against Law Enforcement Officers and Other Personnel; Revises prohibition on use or threatened use of force to resist arrest or detention; provides for enhanced punishment for manslaughter when committed against specified officers; revises provisions concerning assault or battery upon specified officers & other personnel; revises provision concerning resisting, obstructing, or opposing specified officers or legally authorized persons; increases level on offense severity ranking chart for committing battery on law enforcement officers & other specified personnel.
Last Action
Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
House • Oct 01, 2025Latest Version
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