TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off the 2022 legislative session Tuesday morning with the State of the State address.
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The address launched the 60-day stretch where lawmakers will debate and vote on potential new Florida laws.
See a few of the legislative priorities DeSantis laid out in his speech below:
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• DeSantis is proposing a $1 billion gas tax holiday to help reduce prices at the pump. “If Washington, D.C., won’t change course, then we have a responsibility to step up on behalf of Floridians,” he said.
• When it comes to education, DeSantis is proposing the elimination of the FSA, replacing it with periodic progress monitoring. “This will lead to meaningful feedback for parents and teachers and will reduce the amount of time dedicated to testing, leaving more time for learning,” he said.
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• DeSantis is asking the legislature to approve for the second year in a row $1,000 bonuses for public school teachers and principals as well as all police, fire and EMTs in Florida.
• DeSantis is also proposing an increase in pay for state law enforcement by up to 25% and to provide $5,000 signing bonuses to law enforcement personnel who either transfer to or begin their careers in Florida.
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• When it comes to elections, DeSantis is proposing creating an election integrity unit focused on the enforcement of Florida’s election laws. “This will facilitate the faithful enforcement of election laws and will provide Floridians with the confidence that their vote will count,” he said.
• In his state of the state speech, DeSantis never used the word abortion, but as he was speaking two bills were filed that would restrict abortion after 15 weeks – bills that DeSantis has signaled he’d support. “I think there is a lot of pro-life legislation,” DeSantis said. “We are going to be welcoming it. I haven’t looked at every single bill.”
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