Mar 11, 2022 - Politics

State legislative session winds down with controversial GOP wins

Selene San Felice

Illustration of a donkey with a gavel in its mouth — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

After passing the Parental Rights in Education Act — also known as "Don't Say Gay" — the Florida Senate has sent two more controversial proposals to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk.

Driving the news: HB7, aka "Stop WOKE," passed Thursday. The bill sponsored by Rep. Bryan Avila (R-Miami Springs), essentially seeks to ban classroom discussion and corporate training that make students or employees feel discomfort over their race.

On Wednesday, the Senate passed SB524, a bill to form an election police force and make voters provide personal identification information on mail-in ballots.

Why it matters: This legislative session is ending with massive losses for Florida Democrats, and a series of GOP wins DeSantis can tout with voters heading into this year's election.

The other side: Rep. Michele Rayner (D-St. Petersburg) opposed SB524 in the Senate before Wednesday's vote, asking: "In what democratic society do we make it more difficult for folks to vote?"

What's next: DeSantis is likely to sign the bills, as he introduced the legislative proposals for both.

When speaking about HB7 last month, DeSantis said he wants Florida to be "a brick wall against all things 'woke.' This is where 'woke' goes to die."

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State legislative session winds down with controversial GOP wins

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