Bills that would have amended Florida’s six-week abortion ban to allow the procedure in more cases of risk for the mother are likely to die unheard this year.

GOP leaders in the Legislature have declined so far to schedule hearings for the legislation (SB 288, HB 1573), which would have amended the current law so women could access abortion if it would prolong their lives or prevent morbidity of a major body part, including “substantial impairment” of their fertility.

Florida law currently allows for post-six-week abortions only to save the mother’s life or prevent “serious risk of substantial physical impairment.”

The proposed bills would also have required just one physician to determine if a later-than-six-weeks abortion is necessary, rather than two physicians, as Florida law now mandates

The upper-chamber sponsor of the legislation, Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Tina Scott Polsky, described it as a “very mild” adjustment to the “Heartbeat Protection Act” that Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly signed in April 2023. 

“Basically, we’re looking to expand (what constitutes) medical emergencies so doctors and hospitals can treat their patients without worrying about being sued, losing their license or going to jail,” she told Florida Politics in February.

Polsky pointed to an ad opposing the failed Amendment 4 ballot measure aimed at codifying abortion protections in the Florida Constitution. In the ad, viewers were assured that pregnant women with life- or health-threatening medical emergencies could still be treated. 

But that hasn’t been the case in reality, Polsky said, citing the story of her constituent, Anya Cook, who had a miscarriage and nearly died in a salon bathroom because a hospital turned her away. The incident occurred before DeSantis signed the six-week ban.

“That’s not acceptable,” Polsky said. “We’re trying to keep women from dying, as they have in Georgia and Texas. This is really a pro-life bill.”

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell sponsored HB 1573, with Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani cosponsoring. Democratic Sens. Kristen Arrington of Kissimmee and Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando cosponsored SB 288.

Winter Haven Republican Sen. Colleen Burton chairs the Senate Health Policy Committee, which would have first taken up SB 288.

HB 1573 was to first go before the House Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee, but its Chair, Lake Placid Republican Rep. Kaylee Tuck, did not add it to any of the panel’s agendas.

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Following a brief uptick earlier this month, new Florida unemployment claims dropped slightly for the week ending April 12.

There were 6,629 first-time Florida jobless filings that week, per the latest report from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). That’s down by 63 claims for the week ending April 5, when there were 6,692 claims. That week saw the first increase in about a month, and was one of the few times this year there were more than 6,000 filings.

Most weeks in 2025 have seen first-time claims dropping, and any increases have been limited. The latest Florida jobless report also cut against the national trend. DOL analysts reported that there were 219,710 first-time unemployment claims for the week ending April 15 across America, which also represented a slight increase. That’s up by 3,178 filings, or 1.5%.

While an uptick, it’s much more modest than DOL analysts had expected. Researchers projected there would be an increase of 12,303 national claims, or a 5.7% jump.

The latest national figure is up substantially from the same comparative week in April 2024, when there were 209,064 claims.

Florida’s monthly unemployment rates has been increasing slightly, rising to 3.5% in January then ticking up to 3.6% in February. That figure remained the same in March.

The state’s unemployment rate had held steady at 3.4% for most of the back half of 2024. The Florida rate was as low as 3.2% last year, with that mark last seen in March 2024.

Florida’s unemployment rate still remains lower than the national rate, which ticked up to 4.2% in March. It’s the 53rd month in a row the Sunshine State has had a lower rate than the national figure

FloridaCommerce reported that there were 403,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 11.198 million in March.

Monroe County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.4%, followed closely by Miami-Dade at 2.8%.

Fort Lauderdale recorded a 3.3% unemployment rate, and Orlando and West Palm Beach each had a 3.4% jobless rate in March.

Among larger metropolitan areas, Fort Myers and Pensacola saw a 3.7% jobless rate last month. Jacksonville was just behind those areas at 3.6%, and Tampa was at 3.5%.

All the local metro area unemployment rates increased year-to-year when compared to March 2024.

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The state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization is calling on members, supporters and allies to rally opposition to bills it is fighting as lawmakers approach “the end of the 60 most dangerous days in Florida,” a reference to the Legislative Session.

In an email to supporters, the group offered praise for recent successes while cautioning against complacency, as more “dangerous” bills await continued movement through the legislative process.

“With the work we’ve done together, we’ve made real progress. (Last) week, the dangerous attack on citizen-led amendments was held back from a Senate Floor vote, an important step that came out of sustained pressure from people like you,” the group wrote.

“Still, while we’ve come a long way over the past seven weeks, we can’t lose our focus. The final stretch is when some of the worst bills get fast-tracked. We must be ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice,” the email continued, adding a list of bills to watch and providing calls to action.

The group is keeping its eye on a measure to make it more difficult for citizens and groups to get constitutional amendments on the ballot, a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The measures (HB 1205, SB 7016) would add several new hurdles for groups looking to add initiatives to the statewide ballot, including shorter petition signature deadlines, new fines for rule violators, a ban on out-of-state residents collecting petition signatures and a $1 million bond requirement for petition sponsors.

It has already cleared the House, but the Senate removed the bill from consideration on second reading last week.

“We must keep up the pressure on our lawmakers. As a priority of Governor DeSantis, we know there is significant pressure for either SB 7016 or HB 1205 to have a final vote in the Senate in the coming days,” the group wrote, adding that opponents of the bill should contact their Senators and urge a “no” vote.

Equality Florida is also watching what they’re describing as a “voter suppression bill” (HB 1381) akin to the SAVE Act passed in the U.S. House earlier this year. It would impose a proof-of-citizenship requirement on voters and voter registration.

The measure is awaiting a hearing in the State Affairs Committee, where it’s been since April 4. It has not yet been scheduled, signaling it may not receive a hearing. Still, Equality Florida is encouraging its supporters to contact lawmakers on the State Affairs Committee to urge them to vote “no” if the measure does come up.

The group is also opposing a measure (HB 1539, SB 1692) related to removing books from schools. It would revise a law on challenging books that are “harmful to minors” regardless of whether they hold literary value.

The bill is of particular importance because it could set up a judicial test of long-held precedent under the Miller Test, a free speech standard rooted in a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that allowed obscene materials violating community standards to be censored unless the work contains “literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”

The measure cleared its final committee last week in the House and awaits a full vote this week, but the Senate version is stalled. Like other issues Equality Florida is watching, the group is asking its supporters to contact lawmakers to ask them to vote against the measure.

Also on Equality Florida’s radar is an effort (HB 1255, SB 1618) to block public education spending on anything the state deems discrimination based on race, national origin, skin color, sex, disability or religion, a move that would further block schools from anything resembling diversity, equity and inclusion programming.

The House bill is teed up for a floor vote Wednesday. The Senate version is awaiting a floor vote, but hasn’t been scheduled.

Finally, Equality Florida is also working to defeat a measure that would ban birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and other procedures without parental consent. Critics worry it would cause some teens to face negative health impacts, especially in cases where a supportive parent is not available — or willing — to consent.

The measure awaits a full House vote and will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee on Monday.

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