From the loss of life penalty to gender id to abortion, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has cemented himself as a conservative standard-bearer within the lead-up to his 2024 presidential announcement.
With the assistance of GOP supermajorities within the statehouse, the Republican has been in a position to push by an aggressive agenda that varieties the bottom of his White Home run, which he made official in a Federal Election Fee submitting Wednesday.
Right here’s a take a look at a few of the insurance policies:
ABORTION
DeSantis signed a invoice banning abortions after six weeks of being pregnant, nevertheless it received’t take impact except the state’s present 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing authorized problem that’s earlier than the state Supreme Courtroom, which is managed by conservatives.
A six-week ban in Florida would strike a devastating blow to abortion entry within the South, because the close by states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have banned the process in any respect phases of being pregnant. Georgia and South Carolina forbade it after cardiac exercise may be detected, which is round six weeks.
Critics, together with some Republicans, have slammed the six-week legislation as excessive, given that the majority girls don’t even understand they’re pregnant in that timeframe.
“DON’T SAY GAY”
The DeSantis administration expanded the controversial legislation that critics name “Don’t Say Homosexual” to cowl all grades, banning classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender id in colleges.
The transfer got here after DeSantis signed a invoice final yr that prohibited such classes by the third grade, a coverage he has championed as a method to guard kids from sexualization.
This yr, the DeSantis administration put ahead a proposal earlier than the state Board of Training to increase the coverage to grades 4-12, except required by current state requirements or as a part of reproductive well being instruction that college students can select to not take. The board, which is appointed by DeSantis, authorised the proposal and the Legislature put it in legislation.
DeSantis’ training officers have mentioned the coverage is meant to clarify that lecturers ought to adhere to the state training curriculum.
PRONOUNS
DeSantis signed a invoice that stops faculty staffers or college students from being required to check with individuals by pronouns that don’t correspond to the particular person’s intercourse.
The legislation additionally bars faculty staff from asking college students what pronoun they use and bans staffers from sharing their pronouns with college students if they don’t correspond with the staffer’s intercourse.
Moreover, the legislation makes it the coverage of each public faculty that “an individual’s intercourse is an immutable organic trait and that it’s false to ascribe to an individual a pronoun that doesn’t correspond to such particular person’s intercourse.”
DEATH PENALTY
DeSantis has signed two main loss of life penalty payments this yr.
The primary ends a unanimous jury requirement in loss of life penalty sentencing, permitting capital punishment with jury advice of a minimum of 8-4 in favor of execution. Solely three states out of the 27 that impose the loss of life penalty don’t require unanimity. Alabama permits a 10-2 resolution, and Missouri and Indiana let a choose resolve when there’s a divided jury.
The change got here in response to a verdict that spared the lifetime of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty shooter, who killed 17 individuals in 2018.
The opposite loss of life penalty invoice DeSantis signed permits the loss of life penalty in little one rape convictions, regardless of a U.S. Supreme Courtroom ruling that banned capital punishment in such circumstances.
The legislation is meant to get the conservative-controlled U.S. Supreme Courtroom to rethink a 2008 ruling that discovered it unconstitutional to make use of capital punishment in little one sexual battery circumstances.
Florida is amongst a handful of states with current legal guidelines that enable for capital punishment on little one rape convictions however has not used the punishment. given the excessive court docket ruling. The Florida Supreme Courtroom has additionally dominated towards the usage of capital punishment in sexual battery convictions.
DeSantis mentioned he believed the Supreme Courtroom’s resolution was “mistaken.”
GUNS
Floridians will be capable of carry hid weapons with no allow underneath a invoice DeSantis signed this session.
The brand new legislation will enable anybody who can legally personal a gun in Florida to hold one with no allow. It means coaching and a background examine is not going to be required to hold hid weapons in public. It takes impact July 1.
Practically 3 million Floridians have a hid weapons allow. Whereas a background examine and three-day ready interval will nonetheless be required to buy a gun from a licensed supplier, they don’t seem to be required for personal transactions or exchanges of weapons.
DeSantis has mentioned he thinks Florida ought to go even additional and permit individuals to overtly carry weapons. Whereas some lawmakers have pushed for open carry, it doesn’t seem the Legislature will go such laws this session.
Nonetheless, the governor has boosted the legislation, releasing a press release that learn “Constitutional Carry is within the books” after he signed it into legislation.
DIVERSITY
One other new legislation bans faculties from utilizing state or federal funding for variety, fairness and inclusion packages, a constant goal of DeSantis.
Such initiatives, typically known as DEI, have come underneath growing criticism from Republicans who argue the packages are racially divisive.
The legislation comes a yr after he signed laws dubbed the Cease WOKE Act, which restricts sure race-based conversations and evaluation in colleges and companies. Final yr’s legislation bars instruction that claims members of 1 race are inherently racist or ought to really feel guilt for previous actions dedicated by others of the identical race, amongst different issues.
DISNEY
DeSantis additionally continued his long-running feud with Disney this yr.
The corporate got here into his crosshairs for criticizing the so-called Don’t Say Homosexual legislation final yr.
As punishment, DeSantis dissolved Disney World’s self-governing district and appointed a brand new board of supervisors that will oversee municipal providers within the sprawling theme parks. However earlier than the brand new board got here in, the corporate pushed although an eleventh-hour settlement that stripped the brand new supervisors of a lot of their authority.
Disney sued DeSantis in federal court docket in a case that mentioned the governor waged a “focused marketing campaign of presidency retaliation” after the corporate opposed the sexual orientation and gender id legislation.
DeSantis has since signed payments to reinforce state oversight of the resort’s monorail in addition to undo agreements made by the Disney board earlier than the state took it over.
