Mission

To educate and inform Floridians on best policies and practices which increase public safety, save taxpayer dollars, and increase the likelihood that justice-involved youth and adults will become contributing members of society.
News reports covering current hot topics in justice reform

Adult Re-entry
May 26, 2020

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Federal judge strikes down Florida’s 2019 felon ‘pay-to-vote’ law - The Center Square / Washington Examiner, 5/26/2020

Federal judge clears way for thousands of felons to vote [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Law.com, Daily Business Review, 5/26/2020

Florida breakthrough: Ex-felon voting rights restored; "modern day poll tax" ruled illegal - Common Dreams / Salon, 5/26/2020

Federal judge rules Florida ex-felons can vote despite fines or fees - New York Daily News / MSN, 5/25/2020

'A game-changer': Five takeaways from Sunday’s ruling on felon voting [FL] - Tampa Bay Times / MSN, 5/25/2020

What federal judge's ruling on Florida law restricting felon voting means for voters - NPR, Red River Radio, 5/25/2020

Appeal likely after federal judge rules in favor of felons’ voting rights [FL] - WTSP-TV, 5/25/2020

Federal judge guts Florida law requiring felons to pay fines before they can vote - The Washington Post, 5/24/2020

US judge rules Florida felons can vote without paying legal fees - The Associated Press / The Guardian, 5/24/2020

In Florida, felons must pay court debts before they can vote. But with no system to do so, many have found it impossible - The Washington Post / Connecticut Post, 5/13/2020

Federal judge will have a message in ex-con voting case [FL] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 5/10/2020

Manatee elections supervisor Bennett removed ‘dozens’ of felons from voter rolls [FL] - Bradenton Herald, 5/7/2020

Judge signals way forward for felon voting [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 5/6/2020

Testimony of key figure emerges in felons voting fight [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 5/3/2020

County officials struggle with felons' voting law [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WCTV-TV, 4/29/2020

Felons seeking voting rights hard-pressed to pay fees [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WFOR-TV, 4/28/2020

A major trial for voting rights in Florida is happening on video chat - The New York Times, 4/27/2020

Nearly 775,000 felons might be ineligible to vote in battleground state [FL] - The Associated Press / Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/27/2020

Florida felons' voting rights case to begin on Monday - Reuters / Yahoo! News, 4/26/2020

Federal judge expands ruling to include all Florida felons - Tampa Bay Times, 4/8/2020

[Judge says ruling will apply to all felons] [FL] - Last Call, Florida Politics, 4/8/2020

Federal appeals court refuses to revisit Florida felons voting ruling - The News Service of Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal, 3/31/2020

Florida governor loses latest bid to curtail felon voting - The Associated Press, 3/31/2020

Court refuses to block 17 felons from voting [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WMBB-TV, 3/3/2020

Former inmates struggle to resolve financial obligations before November’s election [FL] - Florida Politics, 2/25/2020

State asks for hold on Amendment 4 voter restoration ruling [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 2/23/2020

Felons disenfranchised by Florida GOP stonewalling - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 2/23/2020

Felon voting is not what case is really about [FL] - Opinion - Tallahassee Democrat, 2/23/2020

Rights Restoration Coalition looks to Florida Clemency Board reforms - WFSU-FM, 2/20/2020

Remembering when blacks almost never voted and why minorities and ex-felons are still disenfranchised [FL] - Opinion - Florida Phoenix, 2/20/2020

Court: Florida can’t bar felons from vote over fines, fees - The Associated Press, 2/19/2020

Florida voting: Officials register inmates at jail - Tallahassee Democrat / The Daytona Beach News-Journal, 2/11/2020

Florida sees confusion a year after allowing convicted felons to vote - The Wall Street Journal / Fox News, 2/10/2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis announces new program aimed to help inmates ready for release [FL] - WFLA-TV, 2/7/2020

[Federal] Appeals court wades into felons’ voting battle [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 1/27/2020

Explanation of tweet by Gov. Ron DeSantis worse than tweet itself [FL] - Opinion - Florida Politics, 1/22/2020

DeSantis, Cabinet revise clemency rule [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 1/21/2020
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Legislation Tracking - 2020 Session

Florida Capitol and House buildings

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Below are the key bills pertaining to justice reform issues that were filed during Florida's 2020 Legislative Session, and were tracked by FCAJ. Each listing is a link connecting to the bill's corresponding webpage hosted by the Florida House or Senate. Follow each link for a bill description and status information. 





Passed bills (none signed into law)

​SB 28 - Relief of Clifford Williams by the State of Florida - Tabled companion bill HB 6507

CS/CS/CS/HB 713 -  Health Regulation - Tabled companion bill CS/CS/CS/SB 230

HB 743 - Nonopioid Alternatives - Tabled companion bill SB 1080

HB 1259 - Restrictive Housing for Incarcerated Pregnant Women - Tabled companion bill CS/SB 852

CS/CS/SB 1286 - Contraband in Specified Facilities

SB 1292 - Public Records/Nonjudicial Arrest Record of a Minor - Tabled companion bill HB 615


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Failed bills

SB 18 - Relief of Barney Brown by the State of Florida

SB 98 - Medical Marijuana Identification Cards for Service-disabled Veterans

SB 104 - Services for Veterans and Their Families

SB 120 - Naloxone in Schools

HB 149 - Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers

HB 189 - Gain-time

SB 212 - Medical Marijuana Retail Facilities

CS/HB 259 - Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration

HB 315 - Enforcement of School Attendance [mental health days]

HB 339 - Drug Trafficking Offenses​

​CS/SB 346 - Criminal Justice

SB 394 - Gain-time

HB 415 - Workers' Compensation Benefits For Correctional Officers

CS/HB 421 - Detention of Children

SB 468 - Mandatory Sentences

HB 531 - Treatment of Inmates

SB 550 - Sentencing

SB 552 - Sentencing

SB 554 - Sentencing

CS/SB 556 - Inmate Conditional Medical Release

CS/SB 572: Release from Imprisonment

CS/SB 574 - Conditional Aging Inmate Release

SB 578 - Juvenile Justice

SB 588 - Enforcement of School Attendance

HB 595 - Medical Marijuana Employee Protection

SB 616 - Background Screening [banning the box]

HB 645 - Qualifying Medical Conditions for Medical Use of Marijuana

HB 687 - Services for Veterans and Their Families

CS/CS/SB 700 - Juvenile Justice

SB 720 - Medical Use of Marijuana in Schools

SB 750 - Victims of Reform School Abuse

SB 762 - Inmate Confinement

SB 816 - Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Correctional Officers

HB 837 - Inmate Conditional Release

CS/CS/SB 872 - Public Records/Florida Commission on Offender Review

SB 902 - Sentencing

CS/CS/HB 903 - Fines and Fees

SB 938 - Death Penalty

HB 949 - Juvenile Justice

SB 962 - Medical Marijuana Employee Protection

SB 1062 - Involuntary Examinations of Minors

HB 1083 - Involuntary Examinations of Minors

HB 1125 - Jury Duty

HB 1131 - Sentence Review Hearings

SB 1144 - Department of Juvenile Justice

SB 1274 - Qualifying Medical Conditions for Medical Use of Marijuana

SB 1308 - Criminal Justice

CS/SB 1328 - Fines and Fees

SB 1342 - Court-ordered Expunction and Sealing of Certain Records

SB 1354 - Statewide Voter Registration Application

SB 1396 - Driving Under the Influence

CS/SB 1590 - Juror Sanctions

SB 1716 - Sentencing

SB 1860 - Availability of Marijuana for Adult Use

HB 2653 - Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services - Crisis Stabilization Units

HB 4195 - 211 Palm Beach Treasure Coast - South Florida Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention Outreach Project

HB 4861 - Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital - Pediatric Alternative to Opioid Treatment​

HB 6045 - Death Penalty

SB 7040 - Implementation of the Recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission

CS/HB 7065 - School Safety

CS/HB 7077 - Postsentencing Forensic Analysis

HB 9093 - University of Central Florida - UCF Restores PTSD Clinic

​HB 9095 - Heart of Florida United Way Orlando United Assistance Center (Heart of FL Pulse)

Legislation Archive

Legislation Recap - 2019 Session
Legislation Recap - 2018 Session
Legislation Recap - 2017 Session
Legislation Recap - 2016 Session
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FCAJ News

Research Central: Just the Facts
There is a good reason why the justice reform movement is largely a bipartisan effort: it is ideally based on sound facts and trustworthy information. But in this era of fake news and alternative facts, where can you get information that you can count on?  Read More
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FCAJ Launches 'Money in the Pot' Research Series
Florida is entering a new era with its implementation of medical marijuana. How will the state generate revenue from this new market? What are the policies in other states? To help answer these and other questions, the FCAJ has launched a comprehensive...  Read More

Support the Transformation: Donate
You can add your voice to the center's in seeking meaningful justice reform in a variety of ways, including joining the FCAJ website, providing your comments, and by making a financial contribution. FCAJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your...  Read More

FCAJ Twitter Feed

Did You Know...

The U.S. houses 25% of the world's prisoners while only having 5% of the world's population.

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