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The regular 2009 Florida legislative session will end shortly.
Update 5/2/09: The subject bills we opposed, SB1428 and HB 793, were withdrawn from consideration on this date. Update 3/29/09: This year there is less activity on our issue than in the two previous years. One bill we are opposing is SB 1428 (companion HB 793), involving amending FS 901.15 (warrantless arrest & probable cause criteria) to include FS 800.03 (exposure of sexual organs), which may encourage spurious & grudge arrests on third-party hearsay. For more info, see the Legislative Update in our April 09 enewsletter Update 2/7/09: SFFB has already addressed members of the Broward & Palm Beach legislative delegations, as was reported in the local press. (See the Legislative Update in our Feb. 2009 enewsletter.) The date of the Miami-Dade delegation's sole public meeting conflicted with the Broward delegation meeting, but the Dade legislators have been sent information packets. As usual, our lobbyist Ramon Maury will be monitoring bills, and Richard Mason, SFFB's Government Affairs Committee chair, will be journeying to Tallahassee during the session as well. Help fund SFFB's legislative program: CONTRIBUTE TO SFFB/FNA POLITICAL ACTION FUND — FLORIDA LEGISLATURE 2008 FINAL SESSION REPORT — posted 5/3/08 The 2008 session was ended on May 2 sine die without the passage of any bills we deemed harmful to naturist interests. When the legislature is in session our task is two-fold; first, to work to amend bills we find troubling (like HB 801 this session), and second to watch that initially harmless bills are not amended in committee or on the floor (as happened in the 2007 session with HB 41). Rep. Synder's HB 801, essentially a re-working of last session's failed HB 269, was troubling because it rewrote FS 800.03 (exposure of sexual organs), providing a felony penalty at a beach or public park. However, in a meeting with SFFB President Richard Mason and SFFB lobbyist Ray Maury early in March, Rep. Synder agreed to delete the references to 800.03 from his bill, retaining the references to 800.02 (unnatural & lascivious acts). NAC board member Morley Schloss had also contacted legislators requesting this change, working in consort with SFFB. Senator Aronberg also agreed to delete FS 800.03 references in his companion bill, SB 2354. This was deemed a satisfactory outcome; a comparison of the original and amended bill texts demonstrates this: HB 801 original text (PDF) HB 801 amended text (PDF) SFFB no longer opposed the amended bill. HB 801 made it to the House floor but never received a vote, and SB 2354 died in committee. SFFB's goal in advance of the 2009 session is to work with legislators interested in such legislation to ensure wording we don't feel is a threat to naturist interests.
— FLORIDA LEGISLATURE 2007 FINAL SESSION REPORT — posted 5/5/07
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HELP SUPPORT THE EFFORT TO ADVANCE NATURISM BY EDUCATING THE LAWMAKERS AND THE PUBLIC & FIGHTING AGAINST THE PASSAGE OF NEGATIVE LAWS BECOME AN SFFB/FNA MEMBER — CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICAL ACTION FUND |
| South Florida Free Beaches: Working to insure naturist rights in Florida |
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