florida legislature

April 21, 2022 - Over protests by the state's Black lawmakers, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed his fellow Republicans to adopt a congressional district map that is expected to slash the number of Black representatives for the state. The new map could be challenged in court, but appellate courts have recently sided with the GOP in voting rights cases. 

March 23, 2022 - Arkansas and Florida are the only Southern states that still allow citizens to place questions on the ballot, but Republican lawmakers there want to erect new barriers to this form of direct democracy.

July 14, 2021 - As legislative sessions wind down, Republicans in states across the South are still pushing bills that could lead to mass arrests of protesters. Meanwhile, lawsuits have been filed against new anti-protest laws recently passed in Florida and Louisiana.

May 21, 2021 - Republican state legislators across the South are making it harder for voters to cast a ballot. Voting rights groups and local officials are suing over the changes, which they argue will disparately impact voters of color and those with disabilities. But the judges with the final say are mostly Republicans.

March 24, 2021 - In the wake of historic Black Lives Matter protests, Republican lawmakers in Southern states have introduced two dozen bills this year that could lead to new criminal charges for protesters — even peaceful ones. Most Southern states already have at least one such law on the books.

March 8, 2021 - Since Congress declined to grant businesses immunity from COVID-19 lawsuits, Republican lawmakers in Florida and other states are renewing their push to ban negligence lawsuits filed by workers and consumers exposed to COVID-19.

January 28, 2021 - GOP state lawmakers are using the recent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to justify new laws that subject protesters to harsh criminal penalties. Many of the bills were introduced last year, amid nationwide protests for racial justice. Some would bar efforts to reallocate funding from police. 

December 1, 2020 - Republican lawmakers in Florida and Washington, D.C., are pushing bills to keep workers or customers who get COVID-19 from holding businesses accountable in court. The GOP wants legal immunity for businesses that comply with government standards. 

May 20, 2020 - At the state and federal level, lawmakers are pushing legislation that would prevent some people from suing their employers if they contract the novel coronavirus at work. Labor leaders call the proposals an "outrage" and an attempt by businesses to skirt responsibility.

December 18, 2019 - Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointments have transformed the Florida Supreme Court, which will soon review nine constitutional amendments — including a $15 minimum wage — that were proposed by citizens.