Commissioner Nikki Fried, Democratic Legislative Leadership Statements on Passage of HB 1 in Senate Appropriations Committee

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, HB 1: Combating Public Disorder passed the Senate Appropriations Committee by an 11 to 9 vote. A priority of the Governor, the bill has faced fierce, heated criticism for harming freedom of speech, and was fast-tracked using a rarely-used procedural maneuver. Instead of hearing the Senate companion measure, SB 484, the House version of the bill was sent directly to the Senate Appropriations Committee, bypassing the accountability of at least three Senate committees. The bill will next receive a full Senate vote and likely approval by the Governor.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, offered the following statement: “Seniors, students, families, community and faith leaders, and everyday Floridians have made it clear – no one wants this bill, and the majority party knows it. I applaud everyone who has expended time and treasure during a pandemic to make their voices heard. This legislature has sixty days to do their jobs, and every second wasted on this frivolous, harmful, oppressive legislation distracts from doing the people’s business. This shameful bill should have stopped in the House – and stayed there where it belongs.”

Senate Democratic Leader Gary Farmer (SD- 34) offered the following statement: “HB 1 is nothing more than a direct attack on every Floridian’s 1st Amendment rights. This terrible bill seeks to create a chilling effect among those who would be compelled to speak out against injustice in our state. It is certainly no co-incidence that this legislation is moving simultaneously with voter suppression efforts like SB 90. The message being sent by Republicans at every level of our state government is that they fear the will of the people, and that only through silencing them will they be able to maintain their stranglehold on the people of Florida. They’re taking away our ability to vote, and concurrently eliminating our ability to take to the streets in protest. This is tyranny in its most plain and simple.”

Senate Democratic Leader Designate Perry Thurston (SD- 33) offered the following statement: “The true goal of HB 1 was never to prevent the kind of violence we saw unleashed in the nation’s Capitol, as the governor and supporters have claimed. In fact, some of HB 1’s supporters helped foment the attack to overturn the election, yet no accountability for their actions has ever been demanded. HB1 has always been about silencing the largely peaceful protestors following the death of George Floyd, and the universal struggle for equal justice under the law. Passage of this oppressive bill may subdue some voices, but it will never crush the drive for equality.”

Senate Democratic Leader Pro Tempore Bobby Powell (SD- 30) offered the following statement: “HB 1 was proposed at the height of last summer’s protests over the death of George Floyd. The world witnessed his death and like patriots they organized and held demonstrations. Governor DeSantis called the killing “appalling,” and in response to this tragedy he proposed legislation aimed at stripping Floridians of their first amendment rights. This was accomplished through sweeping authoritarian measures including enhanced penalties for crimes already on the books and the criminalization of non-violent conduct. Whether people seek to show support or oppose a candidate or social cause, we should never allow the government to legally quash free speech and silence the voices of the unheard, especially in a nation founded upon those very ideals.”

House Co-Leader Bobby DuBose (HD- 94) offered the following statement: “America was founded in protest, and has evolved through protest. ‘We the people’ means all people, including Black people, but HB 1 can be used to silence their voices. It risks criminalizing protestors who have done nothing wrong. This bill is unnecessary, dangerous, and bad for Florida. It’s a heavy-handed solution in search of a problem that does not exist here.”

House Co-Leader Evan Jenne (HD- 99) offered the following statement: “This bill does nothing to make our communities safer. It does nothing to address the issues we face together as a state. I’m concerned about the dangerous chilling effect this could have against legitimate protestors, especially from communities of color. HB 1 puts Florida on the wrong side of history, and we all know it.”

Representative Fentrice Driskell (HD- 63), House Democratic Policy Chair, offered the following statement: “Unfortunately, we keep talking past each other about HB 1. Not all protestors are treated the same. We need you to hear us when we tell you this bill is dangerous.”

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