The 2022 Florida Legislative Session opens January 11 and runs through March 11. There are several bills in the hopper which should be of great concern to Freethinkers. These include bills which could impact citizens’ rights to monitor police behavior; or could penalize teachers, professors, state officials and agencies for discussing political, economic and social aspects of racial and gender discrimination.
Note: When the language in bills is ambiguous, complicated, or convoluted, it can often lead to broad interpretations that cover many more activities or actions than one might expect after a cursory reading of any bill. For example, note the use of the term “certain concepts” in the text of SB 242/HB 57.
The following are two of the bills that will be considered in the 2022 Florida Legislative Session about which we as Freethinkers may want to express ourselves:
House Bill 11/ Senate Bill 1872 —
“Impeding, Provoking, or Harassing Law Enforcement Officers”
Prohibits approaching law enforcement officer or remaining within specified distance of such officer with specified intent after receiving warning not to approach.
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/11/?Tab=BillText
— The ACLU-FL warns that this bill could allow police to prohibit the filming of officers using excessive force or other unacceptable practices.
House Bill 57/Senate Bill 242 –
Deals with Racial and Sexual Discrimination (not formally named)
Racial and Sexual Discrimination; Requiring each agency head to take certain measures to prevent the use of training for agency employees which espouses certain concepts; authorizing municipalities to provide certain training, workshops, or programming; prohibiting municipalities from providing mandatory employee training that espouses certain concepts; requiring contracts with an agency which are entered into or renewed on or after a specified date to include the option to terminate if the contractor provides workforce training that espouses certain concepts; requiring public K-20 educational institutions to ensure certain diversity and inclusion efforts and to prohibit certain discrimination, etc.
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/242
— The ACLU-FL warns that this is a coded bill to restrict public institutions, including schools, from discussing or teaching about “the root causes and long-lasting economic, social, and political implications of racial and gender discrimination.”
It is always appropriate for citizens to SPEAK OUT on issues that concern us.
Writing, calling, e-mailing our elected representatives, as well as government civil servants, and writing Letters to the Editor or letters of complaint or support to local news outlets can be more helpful than we imagine.
For information on these and other bills that could impact civil liberties, education, free speech, voting rights and rights of protesters, information is available on the website of the ACLU of Florida: https://www.aclufl.org/en/2022-legislative-priorities-and-bill-tracker
Some more relevant information about these issues:
Critics of these bills warn that the bills would effectively prevent public schools and universities from holding discussions about racism…one bill in particular would ban companies that do business with government entities from conducting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Excerpt from this article highlights the potential harm:
If he got his job back, Hawn knew things would be different. He’d read how Tennessee’s new law imposes financial penalties — which can stretch into the millions — on school districts whose teachers break the rules, and how offending educators can lose their teaching licenses. He would have to avoid any mention of White privilege, he decided. He would probably have to steer clear of race altogether.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/12/06/tennessee-teacher-fired-critical-race-theory/
Excerpt from this article:
You can find out who your State Representatives and Senators are at the links provided on the FCFS website above in the Advocacy Overview page:
