Florida House committee passes slew of bills on firearms, grooming, wrongful child death
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida House Judiciary Committee, chaired by by Rep. Tommy Gregory, R-Lakewood Ranch, advanced a handful of hot topic bills Wednesday.
Here’s a few bills that are now expected to be taken up on the House floor:
HB 651 – Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child
HB 651 would expand the state’s “Wrongful Death Act” to allow parents of an unborn child to recover certain damages. The bill passed 15-7.
The bill would allow parents of an unborn child to “recover civil damages for such unborn child’s death in the same way that other survivors may generally recover under the act,” according to the bill’s sponsor.
Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, is carrying the bill. Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, is carrying a similar bill, SB 476.
HB 17 – Expiration of the Mandatory Waiting Period for Firearm Purchases
The bill, HB 17, clarifies how long a citizen can be forced to wait before they receive transfer of their legally purchased firearm through a federal firearms licensee.
The mandatory waiting period will expire three days after the purchase of a firearm, regardless of whether a background check has been completed. This excludes weekends and legal holidays.
Rep. Joel Rudman, R-Navarre, is carrying HB 17 which passed 13-7. A comparable bill, SB 1124, is being carried by Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers.
During the meeting, Rudman said the bill “does not remove background checks” and it “does not remove a mandatory three day waiting period.”
HB 1135 – Lewd or Lascivious Grooming
The bill, HB 1135, creates offenses for lewd and lascivious grooming. It passed unanimously 21-0.
The bill would make it a third degree felony for any person above the age of 18 to use sexually inappropriate communication and conduct with someone under the age of 16 in order to entice, excite, or compel them to participate in illegal sexual activity, according to the bill text.
Reps. Taylor Yarkosky, R-Montverde, and Douglas Bankson, R-Apopka are cosponsoring the bill. Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, is the sponsor for the Senate version, SB 1238.
HB 1223 – Minimum Age for Firearm Purchase or Transfer
HB 1223 would lower the age for purchasing firearms. It passed 15-6.
It is being carried by Reps. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, and Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island. There is no Senate companion for the bill.
The legislation amends the law to “reduce the minimum age requirement to purchase a firearm from 21 to 18, which applies to purchases from either a federal firearms licensee, also known as an FFL, or a private seller,” according to the bill’s analysis.
In 2018, Florida raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. Prior to 2018, the minimum age to purchase a long gun was 18 and the minimum age to purchase a handgun was 21, consistent with federal law.
Since the sale of a handgun by an FFL to a person under 21 years of age remains prohibited under federal law, a person under 21 would not be able to purchase a handgun from an FFL in Florida.
Under the bill, a person who is 18 years of age or older may purchase a handgun from a private seller.
The bill also reduces from 21 to 18 the minimum age of a purchaser to which a federal firearms licensee may make or facilitate a sale or transfer of a firearm.
For a full list of bills taken up in the Judiciary committee, click here.
