Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier shared four proposals, largely around public safety issues, he would like to see the state legislature pass in 2026 to help the state remain "safe, strong, and free" in an end-of-year release this week.
The four proposals are:
- Missy’s Law: The legislation would require mandatory revocation of bond for an individual convicted of a dangerous crime and remove judicial discretion, preventing them from granting post-conviction bond to dangerous criminals.
- Florida’s Insanity Defense & Mental Health Accountability Act: The legislation would strengthen public safety by ensuring that mental health claims cannot be abused to evade criminal acts or responsibility. Specifically, the bill replaces the "insanity" defense with a narrow standard, including testing for malingering. Most importantly, it would still allow for mental health treatment without having the defendant's sentence served or reduced.
Uthmeier has pushed for reform regarding the insanity defense in the past, including after a recent deadly incident in Palm Beach Gardens.
- Special Retirement Class for Prosecutors: The legislation would include state prosecutors in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Special Risk Class. Specifically, the FRS is designated for public officials involved in dangerous cases, including those with violent defendants, with the possibility of receiving harm, such as death threats to themselves or their families.
- Protecting Kids from Predators Pursuing Parenthood Act: The legislation would expand measures to prevent child predators from being able to adopt children or become a surrogate parent in an effort to prevent sexual abuse. The bill also includes adoptions or surrogacy for individuals convicted of animal abuse.
Along with the proposals, Uthmeier called on the Legislature to codify his emergency rule classifying 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I controlled substance. The attorney general filed the initial emergency rule in August.
Uthmeier also filed to reclassify xylazine, known as "tranq" or "tranq dope," from a Schedule I to a Schedule I controlled substance, with an exception for animal use. The substance is sometimes found in illicit street drugs, including fentanyl.
