A bill that could change how Floridians amend the state’s Constitution was passed in the Florida House on Thursday and is scheduled to be heard in the Senate on Tuesday.
House Bill 1205 by Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Senate Bill 7016 by co-introducers Senators Erin Grall and Don Gaetz impose new requirements and penalties on citizen-led petition initiatives. This bill has called for many youth-led organizations to speak out against it, claiming it would threaten direct democracy in the state.
Among the most controversial provisions is a $1 million bond requirement that groups must post before collecting signatures. The bill also includes a $50,000 fine if the sponsor of an initiative knowingly allows certain individuals, such as undocumented immigrants, to collect petition signatures even if they simply touch the form.
In addition, petition forms must be submitted to the Supervisors of Elections within 10 days of being signed, or sponsors face more fines. The time frame for collecting petitions has also been shortened to a single election cycle, putting additional pressure on grassroots efforts with limited resources.
Under SB 7016, citizens who collect petitions from friends or community members without first registering their personal and private information in a state-run database could face penalties. The bill also expands the power of the Secretary of State, who could now rescind a petition’s certification, creating more potential obstacles for initiatives to make it onto the ballot.
Florida youth have been at the forefront of advocating for the right to petition. This allowed ballot initiates such as Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 to make their way on the Florida ballot during the 2024 election.
These proposed laws have received criticism from grassroots organizers and Floridians who believe this bill has a deeper motive.
“The Republican Party wants to limit what youth organizations and progressive organizations are able to do with these ballot initiatives,” said Lain Dorsey, the communications chair for Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society. “There would be an immense outrage amongst the Floridian population, whereas this is just slowly eroding our rights as voters and as citizens …”
The bill follows last year’s battle over amendments to abortion rights in the constitution and legalizing recreational marijuana. Both amendments won the majority of votes but fell short of the 60% threshold for passing constitutional amendments, which resulted from an earlier effort to make it harder to amend the Constitution.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Governor Ron DeSantis has floated additional proposals to lawmakers, including banning third-party petition collection at grocery stores or door-to-door places and requiring citizens to either sign petitions at election offices or request them by mail.
If passed by the Senate on Tuesday, the legislation will likely head to DeSantis’ desk, reinforcing his administration’s push to tighten control over Florida’s constitutional amendment process.