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Legislature 2001 Summary
The 2001 Legislature considered hundreds of bills. Most died along the way, but some passed both houses. The governor will sign many into law and may veto some. Others may become law without the governor's signature. To find out the status of a particular bill, click here. Then
click on Governor's Office, then Executive Orders and Legislative Actions.
Here is a summary of major legislation that passed or failed:
PASSED
CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES
- Put a proposed constitutional amendment on the November 2002 ballot to place the death penalty in the Florida Constitution and make 16yearolds convicted of homicide eligible for execution.
- Prohibit execution of the mentally retarded
- Give prisoners a better chance to clear themselves through DNA testing
- Set a mandatory fiveday jail sentence for anyone convicted of domestic violence.
- Allow the prosecution of suspects who send child pornography into Florida via the Internet
ELECTION REFORM
Ban punch-card balloting, end runoff primaries at least for next year, spend $32 million on new voting machines, voter education, poll worker training and a voter database, prohibit public matching money for outofstate campaign contributions and revise ballotcounting rules.
EDUCATION:
- Overhaul state's education system, including creation of a new governorappointed Board of Education to oversee schools, colleges and universities and the establishment of separate boards of trustees for each state university.
- Expand voucher program for disabled students
- Give corporations tax credits that could cost the state up to $50 million annually for giving poor children voucherlike scholarships at private schools
FAMILIES
- Clarify that both parents have equal access to their children's health and school records no matter who has custody.
- Require mothers who place babies up for adoption to wait 48 hours before giving up parental rights; twoyear deadline on legal challenges based on fraud.
GOVERNMENT
Remove 16,165 state jobs from career service protection, allow employees to be fired for poor performance, end seniority preference in layoffs
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE
Permit the governor to appoint all members instead of only three of nine on panels that recommend judicial appointments.
PUBLIC RECORDS
Exempt autopsy photos from public records laws although judges could permit viewing on a casebycase basis.
FAILED
CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES
Placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have made it easier for ex-felons to restore their voting rights after they've been released from prison
EDUCATION
- Provided vouchers to students in overcrowded public schools so they could attend private or religious schools at taxpayer expense.
- Let students lead prayers at high school events contrary to a Supreme Court ruling.
ELECTION REFORM
Made it a crime to remove absentee ballots from elections offices.
FAMILIES
Allowed grandparents to seek courtordered time to visit their grandchildren.
GOVERNMENT
- Placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot to lengthen lawmakers' terms by two years and extended term limits from the current 8 to 12.
- Placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make it harder to pass amendments by requiring approval by three-fifths of voters.
- Required the House speaker and Senate president to request that legislators undergo drug tests although lawmakers could refuse.
- Required public libraries to install computer software that blocks obscene material.
PUBLIC RECORDS
Protected the identities of candidates for state university president until three finalists are selected.
TRANSPORTATION
Permitted police to pull over drivers for failing to wear seat belts.
