State Representative Patt Maney
We’re more than halfway through the legislative session for the Florida House and Senate’s 2022 iteration. Therefore, it’s probably a good time to get an update on where our legislative delegate Patt Maney’s bills are in the process.
This link summarizes how a bill becomes a law in Florida.
HB 873
First up is House Bill 873. This would take away the public’s ability to request information about who or what companies are involved in executions in the state of Florida.
Here is the full text of the bill
Three committees have reported it favorably, which means it’s well on its way to the next step in the process – a second reading on the floor of the Florida House.
The bill had some opposition in the judiciary and government operations subcommittee but passed through each subcommittee on a 13-4 vote.
HB 1143
House Bill 1143 would revamp the Baker Act – doing six things to the law that would significantly change how it works.
We wrote a primer on the bill that you can check out. You can also see the full, original version of the bill here.
The bill passed through all of its subcommittees unanimously.
The bill is currently in the health and human services committee.
Other Bills
Representative Maney also filed several appropriations bills this session. Appropriations bills are requests for money from the state to achieve certain projects.
Representative Maney filed six bills that you should know about. They are House Bills 3637, 3705, 3707, 3709, 4545 and 4549.
Three bills are still waiting for their first reading:
- 3709 would add a multi-use path to College Boulevard and Rorest Road
- 4549 would add a crossover bridge above SR 20 near the Coffee Shoppe connecting Turkey Creek to the pocket park across the street.
- 3707 would give the museums in Okaloosa County $30,000 for marketing.
House Bill 3637 would fund a coding education program for inmates. The bill is currenlty in the appropriations subcommittee.
House Bill 3705 would provide $6.5 million for the Niceville wastewater distribution system. The bill has passed the agriculture and natural resources committee with a unanimous vote.
Finally, House Bill 4545 would provide money for the demolition of Niceville’s water reclamation plant. HB 4545 is in the appropriation committee.
