Legislative Session 2025

From Tallahassee to You

The Florida Legislature makes policy and funding decisions that are important for every Florida family. We want to make the process is more accessible for those who work to support our kids and families.

Throughout each legislative session, we send weekly updates on early childhood bills filed and moving (or not) through the process. Sign up for our newsletter to receive these updates.

About Florida's Legislative Session

The 2025 Florida Legislative Session officially began on Tuesday, March 4, and will end on Friday, May 2. In the months before the session began this fall, elected officials began laying the groundwork for the 60-day session during their committee weeks.

House and Senate Leadership

Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami) and President Ben Albritton (R-Bartow) were elected by their peers to lead the House and Senate last year, respectively, for this and the next session. Both Speaker Perez and President Albritton gave brief remarks about the importance of early childhood in their upcoming leadership terms at our Built to Thrive Summit this past September.

Below are some key leaders in the House who might have a say in early childhood issues. You can click on each committee to see if your own elected leaders serve on these committees, too.

• Chair Lawrence McClure (R-Dover), Budget Committee
• Chair Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers), PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee
• Chair Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland), Education & Employment Committee
• Chair Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota), Student Academic Success Subcommittee
• Chair Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce), Education Administration Subcommittee
• Chair Josie Tomkow (R-Polk City), Health & Human Services Committee
• Chair Adam Anderson (R-Palm Harbor), Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee
• Chair Sam Garrison (R-Fleming Island), Rules & Ethics Committee

And in the Senate:

• Chair Ed Hooper (R-Palm Harbor), Committee on Appropriations
• Chair Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills), Appropriations Committee on PreK-12 Education
• Chair Jay Trumbull (R-Panama City), Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services
• Chair Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee), Committee on Education PreK-12
• Chair Colleen Burton (R-Winter Haven), Committee on Health Policy
• Chair Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce), Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs
• Chair Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples), Committee on Rules

Committee Weeks

In order to prepare for the upcoming session, these House and Senate committees met a number of times in the weeks leading up to session. Committee weeks began December 2, 2024, and ended February 21, 2025.

Lawmakers used these committee weeks to get information from state leaders, hear from experts on the issues they may address, and workshop proposed bills. 

• On Wednesday, Jan 15, the House Education Administration Subcommittee met, with a focus on understanding the current early learning landscape in Florida. Each member of the committee introduces themselves and shares some of their key interests in education policy, then around minute 50 the discussion on early learning begins with a presentation from Division of Early Education Chancellor Cari Miller at the Florida Department of Education. Members also hear from Erin Smeltzer, president & CEO of the Children’s Forum, Evelio Torres, president and CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe, and Roy Keister, owner of Scottsdale Academy in Tallahassee. You can watch the committee meeting here.

Breaking Down the Bills

Each week in our legislative update email, we share a list of bills filed and moving (or not) in the process. We also provide explanations of the bills we are watching. You can find our latest email update here and those explainers below. (We've also added more recent actions on those bills that came in later weeks.)

NOTE: When a bill is filed, it is first referred to committees (typically 2-3 in each chamber). Once a bill passes favorably through all assigned committees, it goes to the floor of each chamber for a vote by the full House or Senate. Once approved by a majority of legislators in both chambers, it is sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law or vetoed. 

Week Two: A Look at HB 877/SB 1102 - School Readiness Program
This year, two identical bills in the House and Senate focus on better serving children with special needs and supporting the educators who work with them. House Bill 877 by Rep. Robin Bartleman (D-Weston) and Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce), and Senate Bill 1102 by Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami), would revise the criteria for children with special needs to receive priority in the School Readiness (SR) program, and for the providers serving them to receive the special needs differential. The proposed change makes it so that a child with a disability who requires extra accommodations may have those accommodations validated by a licensed health care or mental health professional, or an educational psychologist, with documentation in either an Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP) or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Providers who have a child meeting these criteria can get access to increased special needs differential funding. Finally, the bill requires that providers serving children with special needs meet or exceed minimum SR contracting assessment scores, complete a training on social and communicative delays, and undergo 10 hours of “inclusive practices” training to receive the differential funds, with the intent to ensure teachers are equipped with the specialized skills to manage and serve all kinds of children in the classroom.

• On March 17, SB 1102 was presented by Sen. Calatayud to the Senate Committee on PreK-12 Education and was reported favorably (8-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 1:24:55 to 1:30:05.
• On March 25, HB 877 was presented by Rep. Bartleman to the House Student Academic Success Subcommittee and was reported favorably (15-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 1:36 to 12:06.
• SB 1102 passed the Senate 37-0 on April 24, and was taken up in the House and passed 116-0 on April 29. SB 1102 is the official version of the bill set to become law.

Week Three: A Look at HB 859 - School Readiness Program and SB 1382 - Access to School Readiness Programs for Economically Disadvantaged Households
This year, two similar bills in the House and Senate focus on increasing access to early learning tuition assistance through the School Readiness program. House Bill 859 by Rep. Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange) and Senate Bill 1382 by Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) would revise the definition of “economically disadvantaged” for School Readiness purposes, changing it from incomes below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) to incomes below 65% of State Median Income (SMI). Aligning to SMI brings this eligibility requirement more in line with the economic reality of working families in our state. Both bills establish new tiers of eligibility to ensure the currently eligible population continues to have priority: The House bill creates a priority tier for those making less than 50% SMI, and another for those between 50% and 65% of SMI; the Senate bill differs slightly as the priority tier includes those below 55% SMI.

Additionally, both bills require Florida’s Department of Education to create guidelines for a new uniform wait list that factors in household income, and compels early learning coalitions to adopt this new uniform wait list in their own SR enrollment efforts. It also requires the Early Learning Estimating Conference to utilize data on historical SR enrollment percentages and county-level population changes, as well as the uniform wait lists, to inform calculations on future investments in the program. 

• On March 11, an early learning panel consisting of Molly Grant, Executive Director of the Association of Early Learning Coalitions; Erin Smeltzer, CEO of The Children’s Forum; and Cari Miller, Chancellor of Early Learning at the Florida Department of Education, gave the committee some background on School Readiness program eligibility and funding before they begin reviewing bills. The discussion about eligibility can be watched on The Florida Channel from 1:01:30 to 1:09:45, along with the rest of the panel presentation.
• On March 17, SB 1382 was presented by Sen. Calatayud to the Senate Committee on PreK-12 Education and was reported favorably (8-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 1:30:15 to 1:32:47.
• On March 27, HB 859 was presented by Rep. Tramont to the House Education Administration Subcommittee and was reported favorably (17-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 1:15 - 7:11.
• See week 8 below for additional updates on HB 859 and SB 1382.

Week Four: A Look at HB 591/SB 112: Children with Developmental Disabilities
This year, two similar bills in the House and Senate recognize that prioritizing early intervention leads to better outcomes for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. House Bill 591 by the Student Academic Success Subcommittee and Rep. Randy Maggard (R-Dade City) and Senate Bill 112 by Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) would create a new Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment at the University of Florida. The Center would be responsible for collaborating with state agencies and other organizations on best practices, training, awareness, and resources on autism care and education; promoting early screening and intervention; and developing professional learning for health care, child welfare, and educational professionals. Most important for the youngest Floridians, the bill also creates the Early Steps Extended Option for 3-year olds with autism and other developmental disabilities to remain in the Early Steps Program until the beginning of the school year following the child’s fourth birthday. Families who choose to stay must qualify for IDEA Part B support, and they cannot re-enter the program if they leave. Those who opt in will then be transitioned into school-age education through their local school district via a conference outlining their support plan. SB 112 already passed off the floor of the Senate and was sent to the House in messages, where it was picked up by the Student Academic Success Committee. 

• On February 18, SB 112, a priority of Senate President Ben Albritton, had its initial presentation by Sen. Harrell to the Senate Committee on PreK-12 Education, where it was reported favorably (8-0). Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel A. Regalado also spoke briefly in support of the bill and the importance of early screening. To watch for yourself, you can find a recording on The Florida Channel from 0:40 to 15:50.
• On March 18, HB 591 was presented by Rep. Maggard to the House Student Academic Success Subcommittee and was reported favorably (16-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 1:40 to 16:00.
• SB 112 passed the Senate 38-0 on March 12, and replaced HB 591 in the House, where it passed a floor vote 113-0 on April 30. SB 112 is now the official version of the bill set to become law. 

Week Five: A Look at HB 47/SB 738: Child Care and Early Learning Providers
This year, two similar bills in the House and Senate aim to streamline hiring and training for early educators, as well as child care regulation. House Bill 47 by Rep. Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota) and Senate Bill 738 by Sen. Colleen Burton (R-Lakeland) would make a number of changes to existing laws and regulations. They address longstanding delays for hiring new educators by ensuring DCF offers the required initial training online and for free, including online assessment at the end of the course. They also establish a 45-day “provisional” background screening, so that educators can begin to help in the classroom–with supervision–if their screening is delayed more than three days. Relating to licensing and inspection, DCF would be allowed to create up to three tiers of licensure violations (i.e. Class I, Class II, Class III), and to create a new, abbreviated inspection plan for licensed centers and programs that have not had multiple instances of violations, are not actively being investigated, and that have already been recently inspected. They would also remove the requirement for early learning programs to distribute brochures on the flu and safe driving, require county commissions to annually affirm local licensing agencies, and allow for license-exempt status for employer-sponsored child care programs. Finally, there are two key changes updating the statutes for family child care homes: the bills call for defining the license class of “large family child care home,” and extending the current property insurance protections–that prohibit denial of coverage on the basis of caring for children in the home–that currently protects family child care homes. The House version of the bill also removes statutory mentions of the outdated term “family day care homes” and replaces them with “family child care homes,” which matches current DCF licensing and more accurately reflects their work.

• On March 4, HB 47 was presented by Rep. McFarland to the House Human Services Subcommittee and was reported favorably (18-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 0:57 to 28:38. (If you’re short on time, her bill presentation is only 3 minutes long!)
• On March 12, SB 738 had its initial presentation by Sen. Burton before the Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, where it was reported favorably (6-0). If you would like to watch for yourself, it can be found on The Florida Channel from 38:24 to 45:30.
• SB 738 passed the Senate 37-0 on April 23, and was taken up by the House on April 30, passing 114-0. SB 738 is now the official version of the bill set to become a law.

Week Six: A Look at HB 61/SB 72: Use of Campaign Funds for Child Care Expenses
This year, two similar bills in the House and Senate seek to achieve a simple goal: to allow candidates for public office to use campaign funds for child care expenses incurred while campaigning. House Bill 61 by Reps. Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton) and Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota) and Senate Bill 72 by Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boca Raton) would amend an existing statute on family expenses eligible for campaign finance–travel, meals, and lodging–to also include child care expenses. The bills allow for the child care to be provided by either an individual or a licensed provider (like an early learning center or family child care home.) Campaign funds would only be authorized for child care expenses brought about by campaign activities, such as canvassing and debates, with use on personal errands or routine childcare explicitly prohibited. Candidates who do use funds for child care must provide records to the Division of Elections including the date, time, and relevant campaign event, and must keep receipts, invoices, and proof of payment for three years after the end of the campaign. Finally, they must include child care payments in their regular campaign finance reports. The Senate version of the bill needs to go through the Rules Committee before it can receive a floor vote, having already passed the Judiciary Committee and Ethics and Elections Committee. The House version has not yet been taken up by any committee.

• On February 18, Sen. Berman briefly introduced SB 72 before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, where it was reported favorably (7-0). Sen. Berman highlighted the unique perspective working parents bring to politics, and how she hopes her bill will “encourage more participation in our democracy” and motivate them to run for office. To hear for yourself, you can visit The Florida Channel and watch from 1:06 to 4:19.
• SB 72 made it through two committees this session before dying in Rules, its final committee. HB 61 was never taken up in any committees. This bill will not become law this year.

Week Seven: A Look at PCB BUC25-01/SB 2500 - Appropriations
Every legislative session, the number one job of Florida senators and representatives is to pass the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Each chamber develops its own budget proposal before beginning the “conference” process, where members meet to hash out the differences and eventually agree on a single budget proposal to send to the governor. These bills are not sponsored by a single member–they are sponsored by the Appropriations or Budget committee in each chamber, meaning many members of the legislature contribute to these. Currently, the House budget comes in at $112.95 billion and the Senate budget is $117 billion. If they do not agree, and close the $4.4 billion gap, by the end of the legislative session on May 2, they will have to stay and continue negotiating until the job is done. Budget conferences are expected to begin next week, so we’ll have more updates on early childhood items as those differences are worked out in the process.

• The House and Senate are still negotiating on the budget particulars. Here's what we saw in the drafts linked above:
  • The proposed "base student allocation" (BSA) for Florida's Voluntary PreKindergarten Education Program (VPK) is unchanged, at $3,029 per student.
  • The proposed budget for School Readiness is down $60 million in the Senate and $120 million in the House. If unchanged in the final budget, this would impact families and communities all across the state. 

Week Eight: Update on HB 859/SB 1382
Back in Week Three, we reported on two bills focused on access to early learning tuition assistance through Florida’s School Readiness program. Last week, House Bill 859 by Rep. Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange) was amended to align current eligibility across the Federal Poverty Level (150% FPL) and State Median Income (50% SMI). This change would continue to capture more eligible families as Florida’s minimum wage goes up in the next two years, but does not include an increase for this year. Senate Bill 1382 by Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) still proposes an increase in eligibility to include families with incomes below 65% of State Median Income (SMI) and goes before its final committee this morning. In order for this policy change to pass and become law this year, the differences in the bills would need to be resolved on the floor of each chamber before their final votes.

• SB 1102 passed the Senate 37-0 on April 24, and was taken up in the House and passed 116-0 on April 29. SB 1102 is the official version of the bill set to become law.
• HB 859 passed the House 114-0 on April 24, and was taken up by the Senate and passed 38-0 in the Senate on April 29. HB 859 is now the official version of the bill set to become a law, allowing entry to the SR program at 55% SMI or below.

Week Nine: An Update on the Last Week of Session
We’re now in the final scheduled week of this year’s legislative session, and there has been some great movement on some of the bills we’ve been following. Here are some highlights on what’s next:

• House and Senate leaders have already advised that session will not end on time this Friday, May 2. By way of background, there is a required 72 hour (3-day) “cooling off period” before any budget bill can be passed.
• Given there is still a $4 billion gap between the House and Senate budgets, and these negotiations take time, the session will be extended as needed to fulfill the Legislature’s basic obligation to pass a budget.
• Three significant early learning bills are poised to pass this year. As a reminder, bills must pass on the floor of the House and Senate to be in position for the Governor’s signature to become law.
• Any bills that have not yet cleared all of their committees will have to wait until next year’s session to be considered again.
• We’ll provide updates on the state budget as deliberations between the House and Senate continue.

Session Review and Updates
The 2025 Legislative Session was scheduled to end last Friday, May 2, but without an agreement on the budget between House and Senate, the Legislature voted to extend the Session until Friday, June 6. Both chambers are off this week and will return on Monday, May 12, to resume deliberations. We will continue to provide updates as the budget process proceeds.

The scope of the extension is narrow. Outside of pending bills on taxation and budget allocation, all other bills that have not passed are considered withdrawn for this year.

We can celebrate good progress for early childhood education, with three key bills passing to expand access to affordable, high-quality care and support for Florida’s youngest learners: HB 859, which resets eligibility for early learning tuition assistance (School Readiness) to 55% of the state median income (SMI); SB 738, which updates licensing and safety standards for child care providers; and SB 1102, which prioritizes low-income families and children with developmental disabilities for school readiness funding. Notably missing are the changes that would have protected all Family Child Care Homes from losing their insurance coverage, as those provisions passed in the House but not in the companion Senate Bill that was ultimately adopted.

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