A working list of Florida bills we need to stop with phone calls and letters.  There are several really BAD bills.

Equal Rights for Men and Women – feminist SB 54 by Senator Joyner / HB 8001 by Representative Berman This bill would ratify the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to equal rights for men and women.

Families First – civil union/gay marriage SB 196 by Senator Sobel / HB 259 by Representative Pafford This bill calls itself a domestic partnership but it is actually a full-blown civil union attempting to give all the rights, benefits, and privileges of marriage.

Online State Lotteries – expansion of gambling SB 266 by Senator Margolis / HB 275 by Representative Gibbons This bill would authorize the Department of the Lottery to create a program to purchase lottery tickets online.

Game Promotion – pro-gambling SB 502 by Senator Diaz de la Portilla / HB 257 by Representative Tobia This bill would regulate and therefore legalize internet cafes.

Prohibited Discrimination – gay rights SB 710 by Senator Abruzzo / HB 653 by Representative Saunders This bill makes sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity impermissible grounds for discrimination.

Sweepstakes Devices – limiting Internet cafes SB 1030 by Senator Thrasher / HB 951 by Representative Patronis This bill would ban new internet cafes from opening for a period of two years so the Legislature can study the effects of gambling. We oppose this bill because we don’t want to ban all NEW cafes; our priority is making all of them illegal.

State Group Insurance Program – insurance for domestic partners SB 1086 by Senator Abruzzo / HB 929 by Representative Stewart This bill would allow a same-sex domestic partner of someone enrolled in a state group insurance program to be qualified as a covered dependent.

Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives SB 1158 by Senator Thompson / HB 1219 by Representative Bracy This bill would create the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives within the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Medical Cannabis / Public Records Medical Use of Cannabis – medical marijuana SB 1250 and SB 1214 by Senator Clemens These two bills would legalize marijuana for medical purposes and create a non-public registry of users.