Politics
House bill extending health care credits heads to floor — but without support of any Florida Republican
A Democrat-sponsored petition is forcing a U.S. House vote on extending health care subsidies to the floor.
But no Republicans from Florida, the state with the most users benefiting from the tax credit, helped get it across the line. That’s despite U.S. Reps. Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar favoring more modest compromises.
Ultimately, four House Republicans signed a discharge petition filed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. That forces a vote on extending pandemic-era Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for three years. All eight Democrats representing Florida in the House supported the petition.
All Republican signers — U.S. Reps. Robert Bresnahan, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ryan MacKenzie of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York — signed onto the effort a day after Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not allow any extension to reach the floor.
Of note, Giménez and Salazar had signed a petition Fitzpatrick separately filed seeking a shorter-term extension.
Salazar on Wednesday briefly posted about joining that petition.
“FL-27 has one of the highest numbers of families relying on the Affordable Care Act,” the Coral Gables Republican wrote. “That’s why I signed the discharge petition to force a vote to extend ACA subsidies, so health care costs don’t spike for working families. We can fight fraud, waste, and abuse without hurting people who depend on these plans.”
But Salazar deleted that post after Jeffries’ discharge petition reached a critical 218 signatures to force a long-term extension to the floor. She is one of four Florida Republicans being targeted in the 2026 Midterms by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Giménez had also signed a petition filed by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, seeking a short-term extension.
Neither has signaled whether they will support the three-year extension on the floor.
The Gottheimer petition was also signed by U.S. Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Darren Soto, Florida Democrats targeted this cycle by the National Republican Congressional Committee. But those Democrats also joined the Jeffries measure, along with every member of the House Democratic caucus.
“A New Hope for Healthcare!” posted Soto. “Now House Democrats’ bipartisan 3-Year ACA subsidies extension petition forces a vote. Mr. Speaker. It’s time to schedule that vote TODAY! Lower healthcare costs and #SaveObamacare.”
Without a vote, certain credits will expire at the end of the year, leading to increases in premiums paid by those consumers.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Florida has more users than any state in the union, about 4.7 million, benefiting from subsidies.
Soto represents the congressional district with the second-highest number of ACA users in the country, with about 275,000 enrollees and 271,000 benefiting from the extended credits. Salazar represents the district with the fourth-highest number of beneficiaries, about 236,000 total users and 231,000 helped by the additional credits.
Giménez’s district ranks fifth with 244,000 total ACA users, and 241,000 helped by the credits being debated. Moskowitz’s district has 171,000 enrollees, with 164,000 enjoying the subsidies.
But it’s unclear, even if the House passes the three-year extension, if such an effort has any path in the Senate. The upper chamber last week killed a vote pushed by Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for a similar three-year extension. U.S. Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott of Florida, both Republicans, voted against considering the bill.
The House version has yet to be filed as of this writing.
Sen. Jenn Bradley is looking for changes to straw laws in 2026.
The Fleming Island Republican has filed new legislation (SB 958) ahead of next year’s Regular Session.
The bill would require local governments with straw regulations to “amend any such rule, regulation, or ordinance in effect as of the effective date of this act which does not permit the sale or use of drinking straws and stirrers that are renewable, home compostable certified, industrial compostable certified, or marine biodegradable to permit the sale or use of renewable, homecompostable certified, industrial compostable certified and marine biodegradable drinking straws and stirrers.”
Marine biodegradable straws would have to be proven to decompose in water within a year.
Renewable straws would have to meet requirements of “USDA BioPreferred Program with biobased content of at least 80 percent; or The TUV Austria OK biobased program with a 4-star rating.”
“The straw bill does not preempt local government straw ordinances. Instead, it requires that those ordinances also include certified compostable and degradable straws,” Bradley said, explaining her bill.
“This updates those ordinances to reflect the newer, and safer straws that are available today — a benefit for the environment and for everyone who is forced to drink out of awful paper straws.”
The bill would “combat the harmful impacts of paper drinking straws and stirrers and provide businesses and residents of this state with better alternatives to single-use plastic straws and stirrers.”
It would also drive “uniformity of drinking straw and stirrer regulations throughout this state, rather than forcing businesses to comply with a patchwork of local regulations.”
No one has filed a companion bill in the House so far. The 2026 Legislative Session begins Jan. 13.
March for Our Lives, the Florida League of Women Voters and several pro-gun control groups are urging Senate President Ben Albritton to shut down a push to lower the minimum age to buy guns from 21 to 18.
The legislation (HB 133) has already passed through two House committees and is ready for the House floor. If it becomes law, the measure would repeal portions of protections the Legislature put in place after the Parkland school shooting.
“President Albritton, we urge you to use your authority as Senate President to prevent HB 133 from becoming law. Remember the promises made after our state’s darkest day. Remember those who buried their loved ones because a teenager could access a gun. Honor the bipartisan commitment lawmakers made in 2018: never again. Refuse to file a companion bill to HB 133, as you have done in previous years,” read the letter that was signed by 12 organizations.
The letter argued the evidence against HB 133 is “overwhelming” since individuals between 18 and 20 years old are more likely to commit suicide or shoot others than are older adults. The message also cited the threat that young people face from school shootings.
The Parkland shooter was 19. A 20-year-old suspect is also accused of shooting and killing two people and injuring others in April at Florida State University.
March for Our Lives Executive Director and Parkland survivor Jackie Corin called rolling back the minimum age a betrayal by lawmakers.
“The gun industry wants younger buyers to boost profits, and some lawmakers are willing to help, even if it costs students’ lives,” Corin said in a statement. “Young people in Florida deserve to grow up without wondering if the teenager next to them can legally buy an assault weapon.”
The full list of groups that signed the letter are: Newtown Action Alliance, Ban Assault Weapons NOW, Brady Florida, Brady Sarasota, Team ENOUGH, Community Safety Collective, Let Life Live Inc, Florida National Organization for Women, The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus and STOP Moms for Liberty.
The House has pushed for years to lower the minimum age back to 18.
“I wasn’t a member of the Legislature when that (Parkland) tragedy occurred. My view is this is the correct public policy to pursue to restore the rights of law-abiding 18-year-olds,” said Rep. Tyler Sirois, a Merritt Island Republican who sponsored the bill during the committee debate earlier this month.
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