TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Last night, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the police reform bill, one of the few the minority party was able to get through this year.
It was also the only police reform the legislature was able to accomplish in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and the massive protests that followed.
Now set to take effect July 1, civil rights groups and the creators of this new policy hope it will be the first step for further future reform.
Provisions in this bill:
- Limiting the use of chokeholds
- Better use of force training
- Ending the arrest of children 7 and younger unless they commit forcible felonies
- Better record-keeping to weed out bad officers
DeSantis also vetoed the auto insurance bill, SB 54. The policy would have repealed the state’s no-fault PIP system. Instead, Florida drivers would be required to have bodily injury coverage of at least $25,000.
Insurers warned it would raise rates and lead to more uninsured drivers. Supporters believed the opposite.
They said repealing PIP would drop rates, citing a 2016 Office of Insurance Regulation study.
The Parents Bill of Rights, HB 241, also got DeSantis’ ink.
According to the bill, "it is a fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children.
The Legislature further finds that important information relating to a minor child should not be withheld, either inadvertently or purposefully, from his or her parent, including information relating to the minor child's health, well-being, and education, while the minor child is in the custody of the school district."
The bill states that a parent of a minor child has specified rights relating to his or her minor child, including:
- Prohibits the state from infringing upon specified parental rights;
- Prohibits specified parental rights from being denied or abridged;
- Requires each district school board to develop and adopt a policy to promote parental involvement in the public school system
Both bills take effect July 1, 202`1.
