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Votes at a glance: Key measures the Florida Senate took April 19
Summary
A roundup of bills the Senate finalized during the April 19 floor session, with outcomes and brief descriptions.
Tallahassee — The Florida Senate completed final action on a series of bills April 19. Below are concise summaries of measures that received floor votes, with recorded tallies. This is a summary of enacted and considered legislation from the day's session; debates and related amendments are referenced in separate pieces where discussion was substantive.
Votes at a glance
- CS/SB 738 — Child care and early learning providers: Modernizes and streamlines regulation of childcare providers; passed 37-0. - CS/CS/HB 279 (substituted for SB 726) — False reporting (swatting): Expands penalties and restitution for false emergency reports; passed 38-0. - CS/HB 547 (substituted for SB 656) — Medical debt / billing protections: Extends protections from extraordinary collection actions; passed 38-0. - CS/CS/HB 85 (substituted for SB 650) — Hazardous walking conditions: Expands criteria for hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren; passed 38-0. - CS/SB 584 — Young adult housing support: Requires colleges/universities to prioritize housing and supports for former foster youth and students facing homelessness; passed 38-0. - CS/CS/SB 508 — Family Empowerment Scholarship Program (parental disclosure of accommodations): Requires private schools to disclose what (if any) accommodations they will provide relative to a student’s IEP; passed 37-1. - CS/CS/SB 498 — Trust-fund interest for purposes approved by the Supreme Court (IOTA interest): Alters statutory standards for interest on lawyer trust accounts; passed 28-10 (separate article covers debate). - CS/CS/SB 462 — Transportation omnibus (includes school-bus camera, micro-mobility rules, pilot programs): Passed 37-0. - CS/SB 302 — Public records exemption (JQC employee personal information): Passed 35-3. - CS/SB 300 — Public records (appellate court clerks): Passed 35-3. - CS/HB 11 (substituted for SB 202) — Municipal water and sewer utility rates (Miami Gardens-related fix): Passed 36-2. - CS/CS/SB 196 — Chemicals and consumer products (labeling/notification): Passed 38-0. - CS/CS/HB 1525 (substituted for SB 166) — Prearranged transportation services (rideshare impersonation, funding rules): Passed 37-0. - CS/CS/HB 515 (substituted for SB 1666) — Uniform Commercial Code (digital assets, smart contracts): Passed 38-0. - CS/CS/HB 1353 (substituted for SB 1412) — Home health care services modernization: Passed 37-0. - CS/HB 1161 (substituted for SB 1400) — Removal of altered explicit depictions posted without consent (deepfakes): Passed 38-0. - CS/HB 647 (substituted for SB 998) — Advanced practice registered nurse services (death-certification authority): Passed 38-0. - CS/CS/HB 1567 (substituted for SB 1736) — Insulin administration by direct support professionals and relatives: Passed 38-0.
Procedure notes and next steps
Most bills passed by the Senate now return to the House if the Senate substituted house language, or proceed to enrollment before being sent to the governor. Several measures were temporarily postponed earlier in the calendar and were later considered. The Senate also considered other public-records measures, transportation items, and departmental technical fixes; some were temporarily postponed for later consideration.
Ending: The day’s votes covered a broad policy range — from public records and health care to transportation and student housing — with several unanimous or near-unanimous results and a small number of contentious items that drew roll-call divisions.
