Editor’s observe: This story has been up to date to incorporate a press release from the Senate President and Home Speaker in response to DeSantis’s name for a particular session.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced a particular legislative session to handle unlawful immigration, amongst different points, on Monday.
In a information convention, DeSantis mentioned he would convene the legislature for a particular session starting the week of January 27, one week after President-elect Donald Trump takes the White Home.
Florida lawmakers will meet to cross laws supplementing new federal immigration insurance policies, which Trump has lengthy promised to place into place “on day one.”
DeSantis mentioned the legislature will deal with reported safety considerations with the citizen poll initiative course of and floated a number of adjustments, together with requiring signatures to be notarized, holding particular elections for poll measures and amending how the Florida Supreme Court docket approves them for the poll.
This comes after two high-profile amendments regarding abortion rights and leisure marijuana made it onto the 2024 poll, regardless of opposition from DeSantis and different Republican officers. Each measures fell simply wanting the required 60% approval threshold to turn into enshrined within the Florida Structure.
The session can even deal with condominium laws and hurricane reduction, based on the governor. DeSantis mentioned addressing these points “can not wait” for the common legislative session set to happen in March.
In a response to the governor’s name for a particular session, Senate President Ben Albritton and Home Speaker Daniel Perez launched a press release, calling the announcement of a particular session “untimely” and mentioned it could be “fully irresponsible” to get forward of Trump on immigration.
“As you already know, this Legislature will deal with unlawful immigration, condominiums, petition initiatives and hurricane recuperate this Session, which begins in 50 days,” the assertion reads. “Calling a particular session right now is untimely.”
Albritton and Perez mentioned they help Trump’s immigration plans, however mentioned they’ve not been given any particular steering.
“It’s fully irresponsible to get out forward of any bulletins President Trump will make, particularly when uninformed or ill-timed state motion may doubtlessly impair or impede the success of President Trump’s forthcoming efforts to finish unlawful immigration, shut our borders, and shield the sovereignty of our nation,” the assertion reads.
“Whereas the Governor mentioned fragments of concepts for a particular session he plans to begin in simply fourteen days, he didn’t launch any precise invoice language and even significant particulars for legislators and our constituents to think about.”
There’s loads of cash left to take care of the state’s catastrophe response, Albritton and Perez mentioned, and added that poll initiatives and apartment security must be thought-about through the common session and never a shortened particular session.
“Florida’s Structure compels our attendance at a particular session unilaterally referred to as by the Governor. Nonetheless, the facility to convene a particular session additionally resides with the presiding officers,” the assertion reads. “Because the folks’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will determine when and what laws we contemplate.”