TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Florida’s 2026 Regular Legislative Session is going into Week 8, the week when committees typically stop meeting and bills not ready for a vote are considered to be dead.
Lawmakers filed 1,893 bills before the session started to be considered in the 60-day session. In a year where the legislature is slow to get bills available for Governor Ron DeSantis’s signature, hundreds of bills will have to be filed again for a chance at becoming law.
HB 233/SB 1384 – Child Restraint Requirements
Florida’s child restraint requirements won’t be changing on July 1.
A bill that would require every child to be in a car or booster seat until they are 8-years-old never got a hearing in either chamber.
Florida law currently has that requirement for children up to 5-years-old.
HB 1427/SB 1586 – Public Safety
A bill that would modernize Florida’s 911 system is considered to be dead.
The bill would require each county or region to consolidate into a single 911 center. Local governments would be able to decide if it would be run by the Sheriff’s office, county government or another agency. More than 25 Florida counties already consolidated emergency dispatch services.
The bill was heard only once in the House and not at all in the Senate.
SB 84/ HB 343 – Insurance Solutions Advisory Council
A bill creating the Insurance Solutions Advisory Council didn’t go anywhere this legislative session.
The bill would have required the advisory council to analyze and compile data on Florida’s property and auto insurance market and submit an annual report with recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor.
The idea behind the bill is to lower insurance rates for Floridians.
The bill was never heard by any committee.
HB 281/SB 344 – Use of Artificial Intelligence in Psychological, Clinical, Counseling, and Therapy Services
A bill that would ban using artificial intelligence in the practice of psychology, clinical social work, marriage & family therapy, & mental health counseling.
It would require humans to provide the mental health service, instead of relying on chatbots.
AI would have been allowed to help with administrative tasks as a support tool.
The bill was never heard.
There were 15 bills ready to be sent to Governor Ron DeSantis at the end of Week 7. The legislative session is scheduled to end on March 13.
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