Dear Friends,
What a great country we live in! Only in America, could a hard-working young man who started out mowing the lawn and washing cars at a funeral home, eventually become the principle and grow that business in to a thriving company with over 100 employees. That young man is now your State Senator and what a blessing and privilege it is to be able to serve you in Tallahassee.
First, a quick update on the redistricting process. As of this writing, the Senate and Congressional maps are just about complete and we expect to hold a vote on the final maps very soon. It was the priority of the Senate to get these done early so that we can focus on other needs of the state. Florida’s citizens should be pleased with the final product as this open process followed a strict procedure and was done fairly and constitutionally.
Also, excited to inform you of some legislation that we have been working on for some time and has recently been filed for consideration. SB 1820, the “Health Care Ethics and Liberty Protection Act” is a bill that would protect doctors and health care providers from being forced to participate in or pay for any health care service that violates their conscience. There are those on the left that believe that health care providers should not be able to refuse to perform or pay for things like abortions and gender reassignment procedures, even if these things are inconsistent with sincerely held religious beliefs. Despite the fact that these procedures do more harm than good and can be very damaging to individuals, we should all at least be able to agree that no one should be forced to participate in something that violates their conscience. This bill would reinforce that right and make it very clear that this will not be tolerated in the State of Florida.
On the front of the fight for Life, Senator Kelli Stargel and Rep. Erin Grall have just filed SB 146/HB 5, which would ban all abortions after 15 weeks. A future column will go in to more detail about this bill, as it is brand new and will need some closer analysis, but we believe this bill is a huge step forward in protecting innocent life. Leadership in both chambers, as well as the Governor, have signaled their intent to pass meaningful pro-life legislation this Session and we believe this is the best chance we have had in a number of years to finally get it done.
Thank you for taking the time to read this legislative update and for engaging in your government. It is an honor to serve the people of Senate District 12.
Onward & Upward,
Senator Dennis Baxley
