Changes are coming to a controversial social media bill that would bar minors under 16 years old from the platforms.
The measure, HB 1 has already passed the legislature, but Governor Ron DeSantis has raised veto speculation by publicly criticizing it. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said on the Senate floor Friday her chamber will consider a related bill, HB 3, on Monday that could change the one that’s already passed. She added that an amendment to HB 3 is expected to be filed imminently.
“Again, these are issues that we have discussed at length in senate committees over the last several weeks. And I look forward to further discussion on the floor next week,” Passidomo said.
DeSantis has previously signaled he would oppose HB 1, citing concerns that the legislation failed to give parents the ability to choose to give their children social media access. He also said he was concerned the bill would be subject to legal challenges.
“You got to strike that proper balance when you are looking at these things between policy that is helping parents get to where they want to go versus policy that might be outright overruling parents,” DeSantis said during a press conference last week.
DeSantis may still move to veto HB 1, but HB 3’s revival means he may not have to. If HB 1 wasn’t vetoed, passing HB 3 with changes would affect the same statute, bringing new changes to the language of HB 1. That situation would allow DeSantis’ concerns to be enacted without a legislative standoff.
If the governor still decides to veto, the legislature would be able to either amend HB 3 into a version that would pass his veto pen or move to override his veto completely. Going by the original votes for HB 1, the House currently has more than two-thirds support of its members that is needed to overturn DeSantis’ veto. The Senate is four votes short from two-thirds, but three Senators were absent during the voting.
Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature has not overridden a veto made by a governor in their party since they took control in 1999.
