Legislative Updates

2023 Legislative Session

2023 – Week 1 Legislative Update

HB 999 has been scheduled to be heard in Florida House Committee on Monday 3/13/2023  at 3:00pm ET. It’s worse than the original (see below). We need you to take action to stop this bill! As higher education professionals, we are the experts on how this bill will harm Florida’s students, economy, and communities. The legislature needs to hear from us immediately!

Here are 3 quick steps you can take right now to make sure that our voices are heard in the legislature:

 1. Email the House Committee members using this convenient contact tool: http://www.feaweb.org/999

 2. Let your local legislator know how you feel about this bill: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/findyourrepresentative

3. Share this message with members of your community

More info:

• What is a committee substitute? It’s basically an amendment that already has the support of a number of members of the committee; in this case, it replaces significant aspects of an already bad bill with even worse language for academic freedom, tenure, and hiring.
• Why is it worse than the original? Based on our reading of the bill and insights from Yale Olenick and Alexis Montalvo, two members of FEA’s Public Policy Advocacy team, this “committee substitute” expands the elimination of majors and minors in ways that would dramatically impact majors in most of the humanities, as well as programs in law, criminal justice, medicine, and more. Tens of thousands of faculty and students would be harmed. You can read that new language here, lines 78-91. Its language about tenure and hiring are deeply concerning, continuing the legislature’s attempt to eliminate academic freedom.
• What else can you do? 
  • Join us for biweekly UFF Statewide Action Meeting, where we will be dedicating time to make contact with legislators.
  • Sign up for FEA/UFF Power Hours weekly on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm ET to get updates on the legislative session, take action, and build power, all in 60 minutes: http://feaweb.org/powerhour

Now is not the time to cower—it is the time to stand up, speak truth to power, and advocate for our freedoms! Join us today in advocating for our students, campuses, and communities.