The Florida Legislature is picking back up with legislative work in preparation for the 2022 regular session, which formally convenes on Tuesday, January 11. In advance of the annual session, Florida’s legislative leadership has announced revised committee chairmanships and will hold a series of six committee weeks throughout the fall. Dates for legislative committee weeks are as follows:
Committee Week #1: September 20-24
Committee Week #2: October 11-15
Committee Week #3: October 18-22
Committee Week #4: November 1-5
Committee Week #5: November 15-19
Committee Week #6: November 29 – December 3
As of now, the expectation is that the Legislature will return to “normal” operations with the Capitol complex being fully open to the public for committee meetings and one-on-one meetings with legislators in the House Office Building and Senate Office Building. Some COVID-19 enhancements and protocols may be announced at a later date.
Legislative leadership recently announced several shifts in committee structure and chairmanships for the new legislative session. In the House of Representatives, the following changes were announced:
Representative Tom Leek (R – Daytona Beach) appointed to Chair of the Redistricting Committee.
Representative Tyler Sirois (R – Merritt Island) appointed to Chair of the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee.
Representative Cord Byrd (R – Jacksonville Beach) appointed to Chair of the State Legislative Redistricting Subcommittee.
Representative Erin Grall (R – Vero Beach) appointed to Chair of the highly influential Judiciary Committee.
Representative Danny Perez (R – Miami) appointed to Chair of the Pandemics and Public Emergencies Committee and the Public Integrity and Elections Committee.
Representative Chuck Brannan (R – Lake City) appointed to Chair of the Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee.
Representative Fiona McFarland (R – Sarasota) appointed to Commerce Whip.
Representative Sam Garrison (R – Orange Park) appointed to Health and Human Services Whip.
Across the Rotunda, the Florida Senate recently
announced changes as well:
Senator Danny Burgess (R –Zephyrhills) appointed to Chair of the highly influential Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on Legislative Reapportionment.
Senator Ray Rodrigues (R – Fort Myers) appointed to Chair of the Committee on Reapportionment.
Senator Jennifer Bradley (R – Orange Park) appointed to Chair of the Select Subcommittee on Congressional Reapportionment.
With these changes in place, the Florida Legislature will kick into high gear on policy and appropriations issues. The stage is set for a productive fall committee schedule that will roll into the Regular Session early next year.
Chris Dawson is an Attorney and professional Lobbyist for GrayRobinson’s Orlando office and is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Alabama. He primarily focuses on lobbying and government relations for public and private sector clients at the executive and legislative levels of state government. He is credentialed as a Designated Professional Lobbyist by the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists. Chris also holds two degrees in Civil Engineering and has experience in construction litigation and design professional malpractice defense.