Florida Senate

The bill, which drew emotional debate among subcommittee members. would involve situations in which doctors know a person is seeking an abortion because the fetus will have a disability.

The proposal would create a one-stop number where veterans can get everything from peer-to-peer support to service referrals.

A House panel on Tuesday voted 12-6 to approve legislation that would protect nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and physicians from lawsuits related to COVID-19.

As the 60-day session begins Tuesday, social distancing and other safety rules will continue to be in place at the Capitol.

During a meeting about procedural issues, Senate President Wilton Simpson advised members to get used to talking with lobbyists outside the Capitol complex.

The Judiciary Committee spent more than two hours debating the bill and four amendments before voting 7-4 along party lines to move it to the Commerce and Tourism Committee.

State Sen. Danny Burgess says a lesson from COVID-19 is the economic carnage created when businesses were closed to slow the spread of the virus.

Sen. Aaron Bean says there is statewide frustration over the state's plans and that Department of Health officials need to provide the public with a “clear direction.”

Neither chamber's measure contains lawsuit protections for health care providers, but Sen. Jeff Brandes, who sponsored the Senate version, says they will addressed in separate legislation.

Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would require two-thirds votes of the House and Senate before a single-payer system could be enacted.