What happened: HB 1471 PASSED out of the House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee by a vote of 14-3. Next, it moves to the House Education & Employment Committee for consideration. SB 1632 is scheduled for a committee hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 3rd at 1:00pm ET.
Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville) and Rep. Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie) voted in favor of the bill with Republicans.
For a breakdown from the Florida Senate, click here
According to the House’s bill analysis,
The bill creates s. 943.03102, F.S., to empower the Florida Chief of Domestic Security within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to designate an organization as a “domestic terrorist organization” or a “foreign terrorist organization” if he or she finds that the organization meets specified criteria.
The bill also: Requires the Department of Law Enforcement to adopt rules to implement this new section. (Section 7) Adds a definition of “domestic terrorist organization” to various criminal statutes. (Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6)
Domestic Terrorist Organization Criteria To designate an organization as a domestic terrorist organization, the Chief of Domestic Security must find that:
- The organization is based in or operates in the State of Florida or in the United States.
- The organization is engaging in terrorist activities that either involve illegal acts dangerous to human life, or that are intended to:
- Intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
- Influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
- Affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
- The organization’s terrorist activity is an ongoing threat to the security of the State of Florida or the United States. (Section 7)
what are the new broadened definitions?
Whoa, slow down there with those questions tiger… you don’t want someone to think you are one of the terrorists, do you?
It’s hard to tell because bills in this country are written as diffs to existing law, rather than documents unto themselves, but it looks like whatever they want:
Exactly, and at the purview and discretion of one person.
I posted the definition above.
Ooo, you did much better than I. Idk how I missed that when I was responding earlier 🐑
Full text of the bill is here: https://housedocs.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h1471__.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=1471&Session=2026
I haven’t had a chance to read it fully, just skimmed, but there is some hand-wringing about “Sharia Law.” Maybe someone who is less prone to terminal eye-rolling can give a good summary.