Nearly 200 new state laws just went into effect – here’s what some of them are

Fariha Tasnim Amir | Staff Writer 

With governor Ron DeSantis signing 200 new laws into action, a plethora of issues are expected to be addressed, such as revised child labor laws and increased civil penalties for violating gas safety.

Following this year’s legislative session, Gov. Ron Desantis introduced 185 new laws to Floridians-effective from July 1. This new set of laws is impacting everything from health care and education to public safety. Here are some of the major ones:

House Bill 49 introduces new child labor rights to the state. The state is now allowing teenagers to work longer hours. This bill was passed despite receiving push-back against initial legislation.

The new child labor Bill will allow 16-17 year old teens to work up to 30 hours 1 week and more with their parents’ permission. However it also states that they are not allowed to work more than 8 hours a day if they have classes the next day.

House Bill 1285 revises rules regarding book bans in Florida’s public schools. This new law prevents people who are not parents or guardians of a student from filing more than one book challenge in a month. 

This law was passed after the huge surge in book bans in Florida over the last few years. The law also includes a few educational changes that include allowing schools to send disruptive students to a disciplinary program or an alternative school.

House Bill 1347 introduces changes regarding the Florida Consumer Finance Act. This law makes it mandatory for lending branches to have a license before operating a lending branch that gives out such loans.

The bill also increased the maximum interest rate and principal amount in the tiered interest rate structure for principal amounts of 5000 USD and higher. The newly introduced interest rates are all around 10 percent higher than the initial rates.

Senate Bill 330 designates 4 behavioral health teaching hospitals in Florida to address issues with treating patients for treating mental health issues. 

The law will provide 100 million dollars each year over the course of the next 3 years to these hospitals alongside additional funds for facilities such as residency positions for psychiatrists.

Senate Bill 366 revises maximum civil penalties for violating Florida’s Gas Safety Law of 1967. Which had the civilian pay 25000 USD for each violation and not more than 500,000 USD in total for any related series of violations. 

With the implementation of this new law, maximum penalties have been increased to 266,015 USD for each violation and this can reach beyond 2.6 million USD in total for any related series of violations.

Florida is in for a new era. From education, parenting, behavioral diseases and driving safety, this new set of laws is expected to bring in many notable changes.