Tallahassee, FL - Today, the nationally recognized Parental Rights in Education, or "Don't Say Gay" bill, as Democrats have branded it, has passed the Florida House of Representatives.
However, it did not go without serious debate and a few Republicans jumping ship and voting no.
House Democrats fought valiantly to amend as much as they could out of HB 1557, but their efforts would never have prevented the bill from being passed at all. Now, State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-47) has shown that some Republicans joined the opposition to the legislation, posting the final vote on her Twitter.
#DontSayGay bill passes the Florida House, but not without some Republicans voting NO with us. See the final vote below for the bipartisan opposition 👇 pic.twitter.com/7Cj5lNMNOq
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) February 24, 2022
Some notable Republicans in the Florida House who voted, "No," were State Rep. Chip Lamarca (R-93) and Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera (R-114).
Although, Republicans were not as split on the issue as it may seem from Eskamani's Tweet. The bill was enough to gather the votes of Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-32) and Rep. Chris Latvala (R-67) alike, who currently represent different perspectives within the Florida GOP.
Now, the bill looks to hit the Senate floor very soon where it is expected to pass in the Republican-led state Senate. If it is passed by the Senate, there is no doubt Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) will sign the legislation into law and will be effective for Florida public schools starting in the 2022-23 school year.
This has not been DeSantis and the Florida GOP's first run-in with parental rights politics. Last legislative session Florida banned Critical Race Theory education from school curriculums and has even sought to re-evaluate that ban to make it stronger. Now that we have seen education take priority in Florida politics, and even in the Virginia gubernatorial race, it appears as if this issue will impact the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections.
