FOLLOW US

The Florida Senate will kick off the 2017 legislative session with a busy first week, scheduling three major bills on the Senate floor. On Wednesday, the Senate will take up Senate President Joe Negron's higher-education initiative (SB 2), which would expand the Bright Futures merit-scholarship program and create higher performance standards for state universities and colleges. Similar House legislation (HB 3 and HB 5) has yet to be heard in a House committee. On Thursday, the Senate will take up a bill (SB 280), sponsored by Criminal Justice Chairman Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, that would require unanimous jury recommendations before defendants can be sentenced to death. The legislation is a response to the Florida Supreme Court invalidating a previous law that only required a 10-2 jury recommendation in death cases. A similar House bill (HB 527) is expected to be taken by the House in the first week of the 60-day session. On Thursday, the Senate will also take up a bill (SB 128) from Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, that would shift a burden of proof to prosecutors in "stand your ground" self-defense cases. The House has a similar bill (HB 245) pending in the Judiciary Committee.

--END--
3/6/2017

© 2017 The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved. Posting or forwarding this material without permission is prohibited. You can view the Terms of Use on our website.

Independent and Indispensable

https://www.newsserviceflorida.com