Florida 2020 Regular Session Status: Passed House 1 D cosponsors

HB 737 — Moments of Silence in Public Schools

Last action — Died on Calendar

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2020 Regular Session. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Moments of Silence in Public Schools; Requires moment at beginning of each school day & provides requirements for such moment of silence.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

4 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill mandates a moment of silence in public schools at the start of each day and restricts how teachers can address it.

  • Section 1003.45

    authorizing district school boards to provide a brief period of silent prayer or meditation;

    Eliminates the provision allowing school boards to provide specific periods for silent prayer or meditation.

  • Section 1003.45

    may provide that a brief period, not more than to exceed 2 minutes, daily, for a moment the purpose of silence, during which students may not interfere with other students' participation. → shall require teachers in first-period classrooms in all grades to set aside at least 1 minute, but district school board may provide that a brief period, not more than to exceed 2 minutes, daily, for a moment of silence, during which students may not interfere with other students' participation.

    Mandates that all first-period teachers must set aside at least 1 minute for a moment of silence.

  • Section 1003.45

    suggestions as to the best use of this time silent prayer or meditation be set aside at the start of each school day or each school week in the public schools in the district. → suggestions as to the best use of this time;

    Clarifies the nature of suggestions teachers can make regarding the moment of silence.

  • Section 1003.45

    a teacher may not make suggestions as to the nature of any reflection that a student may engage in during the moment of silence.

    Prohibits teachers from suggesting what students should reflect on during the moment of silence.

Action History

  1. Died on Calendar

  2. Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration

  3. Placed on 3rd reading

  4. Read 2nd time

  5. Substituted for SB 946

  6. Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

  7. Withdrawn from Rules

  8. Received

  9. Referred to Rules

  10. In Messages

  11. Passed; YEAS 96 NAYS 20

  12. Read 3rd time

  13. Placed on 3rd reading

  14. Read 2nd time

  15. Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/03/20

  16. Placed on Calendar

  17. Favorable by- Education Committee; YEAS 17 NAYS 0

  18. On Committee agenda-- Education Committee, 02/18/20, 3:00 pm, Reed Hall

  19. Now in Education Committee

  20. Favorable by PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

  21. On Committee agenda-- PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, 02/10/20, 1:30 pm, Reed Hall

  22. Now in PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee

  23. Favorable by PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee; YEAS 17 NAYS 0

  24. On Committee agenda-- PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee, 02/04/20, 8:00 am, Reed Hall

  25. Introduced

  26. Referred to PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee; PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee; Education Committee

  27. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 162 not signed on · 6 voted No

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (162)

162 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 162 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Passage, Third Reading

Passed 96 Yea · 20 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 651402
Republican 26100
Democrat 5502
Total 962004
% of votes cast 80%17%0%3%
How each member voted (120)
Member Party Vote
Alexander — Yea
Goff-Marcil — Yea
Aloupis — Yea
Good — Nay
Polo — Nay
Altman — Yea
Ponder — Yea
Grant, J. — Yea
Pritchett — Yea
Ausley — Yea
Grant, M. — Yea
Raschein — Yea
Renner — Yea
Bell — Yea
Grieco — Nay
Roach — Nay
Beltran — Yea
Hage — Yea
Robinson — Yea
Hart — Yea
Rodrigues, R. — Yea
Brown — Yea
Hattersley — Nay
Hill — Yea
Rommel — Yea
Bush — Yea
Ingoglia — Yea
Roth — Yea
Byrd — Yea
Sabatini — Yea
Caruso — Yea
Jacquet — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Casello — Nay
Jenne — Yea
Clemons — Yea
Silvers — Nay
Cortes — Nay
Cummings — Yea
Killebrew — Yea
Slosberg — Nay
Latvala — Yea
Sprowls — Yea
Diamond — Yea
Magar — Yea
Stevenson — Yea
Donalds — Yea
Stone — Yea
Drake — Yea
Mariano — Yea
Sullivan — Yea
DuBose — Yea
Toledo — Yea
Tomkow — Yea
Duran — Yea
McGhee — Yea
Eagle — Yea
Mercado — Nay
Valdes — Yea
Newton — Yea
Watson, B. — Nay
Fernandez — Yea
Oliva — Yea
Watson, C. — Nay
Fernandez-Barquin — Yea
Omphroy — Yea
Webb — Yea
Fetterhoff — Yea
Willhite — Nay
Fine — Yea
Payne — Yea
Fischer — Yea
Williamson — Yea
Fitzenhagen — Yea
Pigman — Yea
Geller — Nay
Zika — Yea
Jacobs — Not Voting
Williams — Not Voting
La Rosa — Yea
Thompson, Geraldine F. "Geri" — Yea
Antone, Bruce Hadley Democrat Not Voting
Daley, Dan Democrat Yea
Daniels, Kimberly Democrat Yea
Davis, Tracie Democrat Nay
Driskell, Fentrice Democrat Nay
Eskamani, Dr. Anna V. Democrat Nay
Gottlieb, Michael "Mike" Democrat Nay
Gregory, Emily Democrat Yea
Jones, Shevrin D. "Shev" Democrat Yea
Joseph, Dotie Democrat Yea
Polsky, Tina Scott Democrat Nay
Smith, Carlos Guillermo Democrat Not Voting
Andrade, Robert Alexander "Alex" Republican Yea
Brannan III, Robert Charles "Chuck" Republican Yea
Buchanan, James Republican Yea
Burton, Colleen Republican Yea
DiCeglie, Nick Republican Yea
Duggan, Wyman Republican Yea
Grall, Erin Republican Yea
Johnson, Chad Republican Yea
LaMarca, Chip Republican Yea
Leek, Thomas J. "Tom" Republican Yea
Maggard, Randall Scott "Randy" Republican Yea
Massullo, Ralph E., Jr. Republican Yea
McClain, Stan Republican Yea
McClure, Lawrence Republican Yea
Overdorf, Tobin Rogers "Toby" Republican Yea
Perez, Daniel Republican Yea
Plakon, Rachel Saunders Republican Yea
Plasencia, Susan Republican Yea
Rodriguez, Ana Maria Republican Yea
Rodriguez, Ana Maria Republican Yea
Shoaf, Jason Republican Yea
Sirois, Tyler I. Republican Yea
Smith, David Republican Yea
Stark, Paula A. Republican Nay
Trumbull, Jay Republican Yea
Vacant Republican Yea
Yarborough, Clay Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Favorable (Education Committee)

Passed 17 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 10001
Democrat 2000
Republican 5000
Total 17001
% of votes cast 94%0%0%6%
How each member voted (18)
Member Party Vote
Aloupis — Yea
Altman — Yea
Bush — Yea
Byrd — Yea
Donalds — Yea
Fetterhoff — Not Voting
Fine — Yea
Latvala — Yea
Mariano — Yea
Sullivan — Yea
Williams — Yea
Antone, Bruce Hadley Democrat Yea
Daniels, Kimberly Democrat Yea
Johnson, Chad Republican Yea
Massullo, Ralph E., Jr. Republican Yea
Perez, Daniel Republican Yea
Trumbull, Jay Republican Yea
Valdés, Susan L. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Favorable (PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee)

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 6002
Democrat 1000
Republican 1002
Total 8004
% of votes cast 67%0%0%33%
How each member voted (12)
Member Party Vote
Aloupis — Yea
Bush — Yea
Hage — Not Voting
Killebrew — Yea
Latvala — Yea
Tomkow — Yea
Williams — Not Voting
Zika — Yea
Davis, Tracie Democrat Yea
Massullo, Ralph E., Jr. Republican Not Voting
McClain, Stan Republican Yea
Valdés, Susan L. Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Favorable (PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee)

Passed 17 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 11001
Republican 6000
Total 17001
% of votes cast 94%0%0%6%
How each member voted (18)
Member Party Vote
Aloupis — Yea
Bell — Yea
Fischer — Yea
Goff-Marcil — Yea
Grieco — Not Voting
Hage — Yea
Hill — Yea
Killebrew — Yea
Latvala — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Webb — Yea
Thompson, Geraldine F. "Geri" — Yea
Brannan III, Robert Charles "Chuck" Republican Yea
DiCeglie, Nick Republican Yea
Johnson, Chad Republican Yea
Massullo, Ralph E., Jr. Republican Yea
Vacant Republican Yea
Valdés, Susan L. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 737 do?
Moments of Silence in Public Schools; Requires moment at beginning of each school day & provides requirements for such moment of silence.
Who sponsors HB 737?
HB 737 is sponsored by Jacquet and Daniels, Kimberly (Democrat).
What is the current status of HB 737?
This bill died with 2020 Regular Session. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 737?
Track HB 737 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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