The 2026 regular legislative session in Florida ended on March 13th. Here’s where things stand. 

Budget

The Florida Legislature failed to pass a budget during the 2026 regular legislative session. That means they will have to come back for a special session to pass a budget before the June 30th deadline.

Voting & Fair Representation

Bad Bills:

• Voter Purge Bills (HB 991 / SB 1334): Would remove thousands of eligible U.S. citizens from the voter rolls and prevent eligible U.S. citizens from being registered to vote. Read more here.
  • Current Status: Passed and headed to the Governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. BUT, our collective action helped reduce the harms of this bill by pushing back the effective date. This law will not take effect until January 2027, which means there will be no changes to voting rules before the 2026 midterm elections!
  • ACTION: Tell the Governor to veto HB 991 because it will prevent eligible U.S. citizens from voting.
• Mid-Decade Redistricting: Drawing voting maps to benefit a political party is illegal under Florida’s Constitution. We will oppose any efforts to redraw Florida’s maps for partisan gain.
  • Current Status: No bills or maps introduced during the regular legislative session. This will be addressed in a Special Session that the Governor has called for the week of April 20th. The timing of the special session requires changing the qualifying process and deadlines for Congressional candidates. Following a legal challenge to the Governor’s power to change the qualifying process, Senators tried change the qualifying process for Congressional candidates specifically for the 2026 General Election. That bill did NOT pass.
  • ACTION: Call your House and Senate representatives and tell them to reject any attempt to redraw Florida’s voting maps before the 2030 census!

Good Bills:

• The Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act (HB 1419/SB 1598): Provides stronger tools to fight voter suppression, repeals bad elections laws, and expands access to the ballot for all eligible Florida voters.
  • Current Status: The House version was heard in two committees when it was filed as a strike-all amendment to replace the bad elections bill HB 991. Representatives had to go on the record voting for or against voting rights.
  • ACTION: Write a letter to the editor in support of the Florida Voting Rights Act!
• Elections During Emergencies (HB 1191/SB 1416): Provides critical flexibility for Supervisors of Elections to ensure rapid and effective support for disaster-affected voters in their counties.
  • Current Status: No movement in the 2026 session.
  • ACTION: Support these bills being filed and heard in 2027! Call your representatives and ask them to support disaster-affected voters.
• Restoration of Rights Voting Database (HB 73/SB 132): Fulfills the promise of rights restoration for Floridians with prior felony convictions by enable returning citizens to know if their right to vote has been restored or not.
  • Current Status: The Senate version successfully passed two committees with bipartisan support. Died in committee.
• Special Elections (SB 460/HB 597): Requires the Governor to call special elections in a timely manner to fill vacancies.
  • Current Status: The Senate version successfully passed two committees with bipartisan support. Died in committee.
• State Reapportionment (HJR 619/SJR 728): Proposes an amendment to the State Constitution to create an independent redistricting commission.
  • Current Status: No movement.
• Student Volunteers at Polling Locations (SB 564/HB 461): This bill would allow high school students to volunteer at polling locations, correcting a problem created by earlier legislation that prevents election offices from accepting outside support.
  • Current Status: Passed. Waiting to be sent to the Governor.
• Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote (HB 57/SB 232): Makes Florida part of the solution to the problem of the Electoral College!
  • Current Status: No movement.

Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

Bad Bills:

• Outlawing Activism Bills (SB 1632/HB 1471): Would give the Governor and Cabinet the power to secretly designate advocacy and civil rights organizations as “domestic terrorists,” based on a process that is vague and discretionary. Floridians who support these organizations would then be subject to felony penalties and expulsion from public universities.
  • Current Status: Passed and headed to the Governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. We helped reduce the harm by getting provisions that will provide greater protection for students who support organizations targeted by this law.
  • ACTION: Tell the Governor to veto HB1471 because it violates constitutional rights to free speech, free association and due process.
• Anti-Diversity in Local Governments (SB 1134/HB 1001): Prohibits counties and municipalities from adopting or operating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and would prevent local governments from supporting community events like Pride and Black History Month.
  • Current Status: Passed and headed to the Governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. But coalition partners working together helped obtain carve outs to protect Black History Month, the Pulse Memorial, and other important cultural recognition events.
  • ACTION: Tell the Governor to veto SB1134 because local governments should be able to support the needs and values of the communities they serve.
• Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit (HB 945 / SB 1712): Would create a state counterterrorism unit under the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that would have the ability to surveil Floridians using counterterrorism methods.
  
  • Current Status: HB 945 passed three committees and SB 1712 passed one committee. Died in committee.
• Political Activity on Public Institutions of Higher Education (HB 725/SB 1736): Empowers the Board of Governors to set limits on political activity on campus, potentially chilling free speech.
  • Current status: HB 725 passed the full House and was sent to the Senate. Died.
• Materials Harmful to Minors (SB 1692/HB 1119): Expands book bans in Florida schools.
  • Current status: HB 1119 passed the full House and was sent to the Senate. Died.
• Protection of Confederate Monuments (HB 455/SB 496): Prohibits local governments from removing historical monuments, including monuments that glorify the confederacy that the community does not want in its midst.
  • Current Status: House version passed two committees. Died in committee.

Good Bills:

• VISIBLE Act (SB 316/HB 419): Requires immigration officers to wear visible identification and prohibits them from wearing face coverings.
  • Current Status: No movement.
• Florida Economic Prosperity and Immigration Act (HB 315/SB 328): Would help stop discrimination based on immigration status.
  • Current Status: No movement.

Anti-Corruption & Accountability

Bad Bills:

• Secret Designation Process (HB 1473/SB 1634): Would allow the state to declare advocacy and civil rights organizations as “domestic terrorists” through a secretive process that hides the reasons from the public.
  • Current Status: Passed and headed to the Governor’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.
• Candidate Qualifying (SB 620 / HB 535): Would require candidates for elected office who are dual citizens to declare their dual citizenship.
  • Current Status: Passed the Senate with amendment that would have changed the qualifying process for Congressional candidates for the 2026 General Election to accommodate the Governor’s April special session on mid-decade redistricting. Died in the committee, but the dual citizen requirement was added to HB 991 and passed.
• Publication of Public Notices (HB 1009 / SB 380): Will make it even harder for Floridians to find and track public and legal notices by removing requirements for publication in centralized locations.
  • Current Status: HB 1009 passed the House and was sent to the Senate; SB 380 has passed two committees. Died.

Good Bills:

• Whistleblower Protections (SB 92 / HB 139): Prohibits adverse actions against employees or independent contractors for disclosing information to the Commission on Ethics.
  • Current Status: House and Senate versions passed all committees but were never heard on the floor. Died.
• Access to Public Records (HB 437/SB 770): Helps address the issue of state, county, and local government agencies delaying, denying, or outright ignoring public records requests from Floridians.
  • Current Status: Passed the full House and sent to the Senate. Died.
• Candidate Qualification (SB 62/HB 91): Requires candidates to be registered with their party for 365 days before qualifying, helping to close the “ghost candidate” loophole that enables election manipulation.
  • Current Status: Passed and headed to the Governor’s desk.

Media & Technology

Needs Improvement:

• Artificial Intelligence Regulation (SB 482/HB 1395): Creates some measures to regulate AI (which is good), but fails to actually protect Floridians from key harms of AI and related technology (which is bad).
  • Current Status: Passed the full Senate and sent to the House. Died.