Hi, everyone! I know there is a lot of concern and confusion about the bill introduced this week, so I wanted to do a quick summary of some important things regarding HB1403.
Where to read and/or follow progress on HB1403:
The House website has a link where you can watch the bill's progress as it moves through the subcommittees and committees, and also access the original text of the bill and any amendments they've filed.
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/1403/?Tab=BillHistory
UPDATE: For those who would like to see what Brenda and I said at the Subcommittee session on January 11th, Jason created a clip of just those parts of the session! You can view that here:
If you would like to watch the FULL video of the entire Subcommittee meeting, it is still available on the House website here:
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.aspx?eventID=9283
The process the bill will go through:
I'll do a more thorough post on the legislative process in the near future, but the key points are:
Yesterday's "Choice and Innovation Subcommittee" was just the first stop.
The "yes" vote for the bill was not to enact the bill as-is, but to push it forward to the next committee so that they can continue to work on it. (There is a need for a glitch bill to address issues remaining from HB1, and some things in HB1403, like the timing of funding for private schools, are important changes. If they had vetoed the whole bill, they would have had to start from scratch with a new bill rather than working on and amending this one.)
The bill still has two committees to go through: PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, and Education & Employment Committee.
Once it has been through the committees listed, it will either be referenced to more committees, or sent to the full House for a vote.
This means there is still time to voice our concerns and get it amended!
What HEF is doing on the lobbying side:
As Brenda has mentioned in recent livestreams, lobbying serves a different purpose than parent voices... but BOTH are needed!
As a registered lobbyist, Brenda (and now Jason, who just also got registered now that we've moved to Tallahassee as of Friday!) has access to direct contacts with representatives in the legislative and executive branches that the average parent may not have access to be heard in. Brenda and Jason have ALREADY been non-stop lobbying since the Legislative season began--with the governor's office, with key representatives in the House, and with other key contacts in position to effect change on this bill.
The instructional materials limitation is not the ONLY concern needing to be addressed--there are still concerns remaining from HB1 and others that have arisen in the meantime. But it definitely is something Brenda and Jason have been very vocal about with their contacts, and will continue to do so.
HEF is lobbying for the parents to have as much freedom and authority as possible in how they utilize their scholarship funds, so that parents can direct their children's education in the way that best fits their family's situation and needs. This touches a lot of sub-issues, which require a lot of nitty-gritty in submitting wording changes and the like, but getting that protection for parents' freedom written into the statutes as clearly as possible is HEF's driving goal.
What parents can (and we hope WILL) do:
Voice your concerns and make yourselves heard!
As the bill moves into the other committees, the issues for discussion will be limited by the topics of that particular committee. So, for example, as it moves into the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, parents who come to speak would need to keep their topics limited to only what affects "appropriations," i.e., payments and financial aspects. As it moves to the Education & Employment committee, issues and concerns related to career and technical skills, etc., could be voiced.
HOWEVER, the bill will likely have amendments and changes filed between each committee session, so by the time it goes to the next committee, the wording on the current concerns may have already been changed.
We're advising parents to reach out to their local representatives NOW about any concerns with the current version of the bill. But we aren't sure yet what might be the remaining (or new) concerns once an updated bill hits the next committee... so please stay tuned on that! We will put out calls for parents to appear on the specific committee-related issues if and when that time comes.
In the meantime, here's what we suggest:
Use the House "find your representative" feature to locate your district's representative. Call or email (or both) and voice your concerns on the current bill! Be sure your address/county of residence is visible easily in the email, because if a rep gets an email that isn't clearly from a constituent in their district, they may delete or ignore it rather than reading it... and we want your emails to get read! We also recommend you keep your email as succinct and easy to read as possible. Bullet points are best, but please also communicate how these issues PERSONALLY affect your children. Bullet points with heart! https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/findyourrepresentative
If you are willing to appear at the capitol in Tallahassee at one of the upcoming committees/subcommittees, please email us at info@flhef.org with your contact info AND what issues personally affect you that you'd be willing to speak on. I'm trying to compile a list so we can email directly to those parents with the info on the upcoming sessions, since what can be spoken on is limited by the focus of the committee.
You can also email/contact key people directly involved with this bill, especially Rep. Tomkow (who is sponsoring the bill) and Speaker Renner. If you have any district reps who sit on the upcoming committees for this bill, definitely email them as well.
If you have any questions or concerns, comment them here or message us!
We're keeping a close eye on anything that could impact parents who teach their children at home, and Brenda and Jason are actively lobbying and doing calls and meetings what seems like non-stop, right now!
We are officially deep in the mad rush of Legislative season now, and some of the issues and contacts are extremely time-sensitive, so our replies may be delayed... but I'm checking the forums and messages as often as I'm able. We will get back to you! Just please be patient with us if we don't respond right away.
Thank you all for being here, and again, please post any questions or concerns! I'll do my best to reply and answer them.
Thank you laying things out so clearly, especially ways we can be involved! I know we're all focused on the instructional materials, but wondering if it's still worth asking for digital devices in our emails? Is FHEF working on that aspect at all? I've mentioned it in all my emails to reps in Dec and have received some responses that they are aware of this desire and it's part of the discussion - but was disapointed it wasn't addressed in this draft.