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March 4, 2024 | Legislative Reporter There is one week left in session as it is scheduled to end on March 8. The number of bills available for lawmakers to consider shrinks this week. House Rule 10.18 says that after the 55th day, the House can no longer take up bills on second reading, meaning any House bill that will get a vote must already have been rolled over to third reading. Much of the final week of session will be taken up with bills that have already passed one chamber or the other and are in messages, or are bouncing back and forth between the chambers as they pass amendments. Any amendments made must be signed off on by the other chamber. The last two days of the session the House may only consider returning messages, conference reports and concurrent resolutions. There are rule changes affecting amendments that come into play after the 55th day as well, with floor amendments to bills on the special-order calendar required to be filed no later than two hours before the start of session, or 8 am on the day of the session, whichever is earlier, and amendments to floor amendments and substitute amendments required to be filed by an hour after the main floor amendment deadline. In addition to bills on third reading and messages, the Legislature will have to take up a finalized budget this week. Pursuant to Article III, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution, “Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor for approval and shall become a law if the governor approves and signs it, or fails to veto it within seven consecutive days after presentation. If during that period or on the seventh day the legislature adjourns sine die or takes a recess of more than thirty days, the governor shall have fifteen consecutive days from the date of presentation to act on the bill.” Governor DeSantis has begun to receive bills for his action. To follow his actions, go to flgov.com and click on the 2024 Bill Actions icon on the right side of the home page. The latest Bill Tracking Report as of March 3 can be viewed here. Please review it to see the bills filed that APA Florida is tracking. Note that if you click on the bill number, you will be linked to more information about the bill. If you would like any bills added to this report or would like more information about a specific bill, please contact Stefanie Svisco at ssvisco@floridaplanning.org. Note that the following bill was passed out of both the House and Senate this past week: March 4, 2024 | Legislative Reporter
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