TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new proposal has passed the Florida legislature that gives the state the power to label certain groups as terrorists.
That bill — HB 1471 — was originally filed by state Rep. Hillary Cassel (R-Hollywood) earlier this year, and it seeks to make a variety of changes to state law regarding terrorist organizations.
Many of those revisions are as follows:
Religious Laws: Courts and tribunals are prohibited from enforcing religious or foreign laws against someone if such application would violate his/her constitutional rights
Private Schools: Prohibits private schools participating in state scholarship programs from being owned or funded by terrorist groups, terrorist supporters, or criminal gangs
State Universities: Prevents institutions in the Florida College System from using state funds to support programs that advocate for terrorist organizations
Visa Students: Public colleges must report information about the current status of students who are attending on a visa if they promote terrorist organizations
Student Expulsions: If a student promotes a terrorist organization while enrolled at a public university, the student must be immediately expelled and assessed an out-of-state fee
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However, a major component of the bill is a new rule that allows the FDLE executive director — a role appointed by the governor — to designate certain groups as terrorist organizations.
To do so, the FDLE director must find the following criteria:
Domestic (DTO) or Foreign (FTO)?CriteriaDTOThe organization is based in or operates in the U.S.DTOThe organization is engaging in activities that involve illegal acts to intimidate/coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation/coercion, or affect the conduct of government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnappingDTOThe organization’s terrorist activity is an ongoing threat to the security of Florida or the U.S.FTOThe organization is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality ActFTOThe organization’s terrorist activity is an ongoing threat to the security of Florida or the U.S.
At least seven days before designating a group as a terrorist organization, the FDLE director must provide written notice to the Cabinet, along with written findings behind the decision.
Then, the Cabinet will be responsible for either approving or rejecting the designation.
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If a group is properly dubbed a terrorist organization, the following consequences would also apply:
State agencies may not expend funds or levy ad valorem taxes to support such an organization or its members
Criminal penalties imposed against such organization may be enhanced
The following terrorist-related crimes include conduct involving a domestic terrorist group as designated by the FDLE head:
Now that the bill has been approved by lawmakers, it’s heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for his final signature.
If he passes it into law, the bill is slated to take effect on July 1.
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