Legislative Update on Small Business Council Legislative Priorities – May 2024
Employment Regulations (HB 433/SB 1492) by Representative Tiffany Esposito and Senator Jay Trumbull
Included several Florida Chamber priorities to protect Florida small businesses from local mandates and ordinances that make communities and the state less economically competitive. The bill provides for a consistent regulatory environment by prohibiting local governments from adopting heat illness ordinances for outdoor workers, eliminates the ability to mandate wages or benefits on private employers through their purchasing or procurement processes above what state or federal law requires, and prevents local governments from setting mandates on private employers around scheduling, known more commonly as predictive scheduling. The Florida Chamber opposed a proposed local government ordinance around heat safety recognizing that having a patchwork of different regulations across the state would result in confusion and therefore less safe workplaces.
Status: Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Public Works Projects (HB 705/SB 742) by Representative Jason Shoaf and Senator Erin Grall
Eliminates local government’s ability to require wages and benefits on private employers – also known as prevailing wages – that are contracting with a local government on taxpayer funded public works projects. Eliminating the ability of local governments to mandate prevailing wages ensures a single wage and benefit floor across Florida’s 67 counties and 411 municipalities and enables small, local businesses to be more competitive in bidding on public works projects, as well as ensures proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Status: Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Securities (HB 311/SB 532) by Representative Webster Barnaby and Senator Jason Brodeur
The “Invest Local Act” enhances investor protections and revises exemptions to license registration requirements to streamline the process for small businesses in Florida to access capital. The bill assists small business by allowing for important capital raising opportunities for local businesses who wish to conduct smaller, more localized offerings, and provides for those who are unable to or find it cost prohibitive to meet more onerous funding requirements.
Status: Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
To learn more about the impact of this legislation on your business, watch the most recent Small Business Council webinar with Florida Office of Financial Regulation Commissioner Russell Weigel and bill sponsor Senator Jason Brodeur here.
Interstate Mobility (HB 1273/SB 1600) by Representative Susan Plasencia and Senator Jay Collins
Works to improve our state’s workforce shortage and expand opportunities for Floridians by allowing licensure endorsements when licenses are issued by other states and certain conditions are met. The bill encompasses licensure across several occupations licensed by the Department of Professional Regulation and Department of Health. As 86 unemployed Floridians are looking for work for every 100 open jobs and Florida grows by a net 750 people per day, decreasing barriers to employment and increasing job opportunities available to Floridians and those becoming Florida residents by streamlining the occupational licensing process is essential for Florida’s competitiveness.
Status: Passed; waiting to be sent to Governor DeSantis for his action.
Taxation (HB 7073/SB 7074) by Representative Stan McClain and Senator Blaise Ingoglia
This year’s “tax package” included over $900 million in savings to augment Florida’s tax-friendly environment and ensure proper stewardship of state funds by returning taxpayer dollars. The bill established a Florida Chamber-backed tax credit program to incentivize employers to assist their employees with the rising cost of childcare, includes significant savings to homeowners’ insurance policyholders without distorting the private market while significant Chamber-backed reforms over the last 18 months take hold, and includes over $287 million in sales tax holidays which directly benefits consumers. Importantly, beyond the impact cost savings will have locally, continued tax relief encourages economic growth and our collective work towards the Florida 2030 Blueprint goal of having the top business tax climate in the nation.
Status: Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.