Time is running out…
This final week of Florida’s 60-day Legislative Session is the most critical.
Many states have their legislative session year-round and things happen at a more “normal” pace. This year, 3,149 bills were proposed during Florida’s legislative session and it’s only 60 days long – so it is INTENSE!
If you have not given to Florida Family Policy Council recently, would you please consider a gift today as we continue to bring truth to dispel deception, and light to dispel the darkness during Florida’s Legislative Session?
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
Will this be the year Florida elected officials vote to outlaw the gruesome procedure of dismemberment abortion? Unborn babies are literally cut or ripped apart piece by piece in the womb, and then extracted from the mother. (This barbaric procedure should be against the law and we will continue to speak on behalf of the unborn every chance we get!)
Will the legislature pass a bill allowing men access to use women’s showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms under the deceptively named Competitive Workforce Act? (We strongly oppose this dangerous bill. This is wrong for many reasons.)
Will special rights be created for LGBTQ community providing a new way for LGBTQ individuals to sue employers and small businesses for discrimination, based on gender identity or expression? (Special legal rights and privileges should not be created and would allow these individuals to target employers who do not create favorable employment exceptions for a LGBTQ lifestyle.)
Will pastors and professional counselors be prohibited from counseling youthwho desperately seek help and are experiencing gender confusion or gender dysphoria? (When youth, or a family with youth, seek counseling for gender confusion, they should NOT be prevented by law from receiving counseling by pastors or professional counselors. This is a heartless and brazen move by our opponents to prevent those who are at a very vulnerable point in life, from getting the counseling they so desperately are seeking and need.)
Will employers be required to provide contraception and abortion-inducing drugs in insurance plans for their employees? (Employers should not be required to pay for procedures or drugs which kill unborn babies.)
Will gambling be expanded? (Expansion of any kind of gambling is bad public policy, period.)
These questions and more will be decided in the next couple weeks and could directly affect you and your family.
So many bad things happen around us that the culture can just seem to be increasingly dark these days.
These are times we must remember that there is always hope, there are also good things happening, and we cannot lose sight of the positive, life giving opportunities and advancements being made.
On a hopeful and positive note, also being considered by the legislature, and which we are supporting:
Marriages and families could be strengthened and divorces reduced if more resources and training materials were made available to couples, with Florida’s Guide to a Healthy Marriage.
More pregnancy support services could be provided to women who know or suspect they are pregnant, often in an unexpected or “crisis” pregnancy.
Home education (homeschool) students could be given the same educational assessment and certification opportunities as public school students.
Necessary home education guidelines could be established and clarified for both parents and the school district.
Scholarships could be available for students who have suffered trauma, after an incident of battery, harassment, hazing, bullying, kidnapping, robbery, sexual offenses, harassment, assault, threat or intimidation.
Victims of human trafficking could receive support services and resources they need and tougher penalties could be imposed on those convicted of human trafficking.
These are just a few of the issues addressed in bills which your Florida Legislature has been considering in this 2018 Legislative Session.
All the bills addressing these topics are in different stages of the legislative process. Some are on their way to passing and some will die.
A complete list of bills and weekly updates to their progress in this legislative session can be found at www.FLfamily.org.
It is our privilege to be your voice for your values regarding these important issues and many others throughout the year.
Your gifts make this work possible and I pray that God will bless you, just as you have blessed us.
Please know how much we appreciate you. This mission God has called us to would simply not be possible without you, our Mission Partner.
Our Vision: “A Nation Where God is Honored, Life is Cherished, Families Thrive and Religious Liberty Flourishes.”
Our Mission Statement: “To Protect and Defend Life, Marriage, Family and Liberty Through Education, Advocacy and Empowerment.”
Sincerely,
John Stemberger
President and General Counsel