HIGHLIGHTS -

The fourth week of Florida’s 2022 Regular Legislative Session concluded today. With five weeks remaining in this year’s session, the legislature is approaching the halfway point of their time in Tallahassee for 2022. As of this week, 35 bills have passed the Senate and await passage in the House. One bill, the joint resolution to establish newly drawn state House and Senate districts, has passed in both chambers as of Wednesday. Notably, the redistricting bill passed unanimously in the Senate, and along party-lines in the House. The Senate passed an additional 20 bills with near complete unanimity on Thursday, approving a wide range of bipartisan legislation, including provisions to require insurance coverage on childrens’ hearing aids and to authorize schools to have opioid overdose counteractants on hand. In addition, the process of crafting a balanced state budget began this week, with Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs presenting preliminary budget spreadsheets in each of their meetings. Budget deliberations will continue through the next several weeks until each line-item is agreed upon.