Senate Debate Will Have Real-Time Transcriptions to Accommodate Fetterman’s Recovery
A transcript of Tuesday night’s Senate debate on a bill that would have granted Florida’s teachers and students a week of paid leave to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic will be available in real time on the Senate’s website. (Florida State Senate, YouTube, March 11, 2020)
The Florida Senate debated on Tuesday a bill that would have granted teachers paid leave for the next week to recover from the effects of the coronavirus as debate was ongoing over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for an employee’s bill of rights after Florida’s schools and universities shut down.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, proposed the bill last week after DeSantis called for an amendment to Florida law stating that teachers’ time off to recover from the crisis would be counted as paid time off and would be eligible for reimbursement.
The Florida House is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday, but the Senate is looking for some compromise, especially after DeSantis announced he would have a paid family leave bill signed into law.
DeSantis said he would sign the paid leave bill into law Wednesday, which he said is in response to growing demand from Florida educators, who are facing the possibility of lost wages as the state’s schools and universities remain closed.
The Florida Senate’s debate over the bill continued through the last moment of the session on Tuesday. The House would have to vote on the bill Wednesday.
Senate Bill 796 is the Senate version of a House-passed bill that DeSantis announced would “finally put Florida’s teachers first.”
Sen. Glenn Leider, R-St. Petersburg, said he heard back from the House on Tuesday about a proposal to include in the paid leave bill language that would require teachers to give 60 days notice before taking the leave.
“I think that goes a little far,” Leider said.