Florida House to debate gun, malpractice and immigration bills in first floor session

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida House lawmakers are set to debate a slate of high-profile and divisive proposals when they convene for their first floor session of the year Thursday. The agenda includes bills touching on gun policy, medical malpractice, immigration enforcement and government liability.

The measures are scheduled for consideration just days after the start of the annual legislative session, signaling an aggressive start to the House’s policy priorities.

What we know:

The House is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Thursday to consider multiple bills approved earlier this week by the House Rules & Ethics Committee. Among the most closely watched proposals is HB 133, filed by House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois, which would lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 21 to 18.

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Lawmakers will also take up HB 6003, sponsored by Rep. Dana Trabulsy and others, which would repeal a decades-old medical-malpractice law that limits who can seek non-economic damages in certain wrongful-death cases. Additional bills on the agenda include HB 145, which would expand the amount of money government agencies could be required to pay in negligence lawsuits, and HB 197, which would mandate the use of the federal E-Verify system by all private employers.

The backstory:

Florida raised the minimum age to buy long guns in 2018 following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. That law marked a rare expansion of gun regulations in the state and has remained controversial among gun-rights advocates.

The medical-malpractice proposal targets a 1990 law that restricts access to non-economic damages — such as pain and suffering — in certain cases. Under current law, adults 25 and older cannot seek such damages in cases involving the deaths of their parents, and parents are barred from doing so when their children who are 25 or older die as a result of malpractice.

Big picture view:

The bills reflect long-standing priorities among House Republicans, including rolling back gun restrictions enacted after Parkland, reducing legal barriers for malpractice claims and tightening immigration enforcement. If passed, the proposals could lead to significant legal and financial consequences for state and local governments, health care providers and private employers.

The agenda also underscores potential divisions between the House and Senate, where similar proposals have faced resistance in past sessions or failed to advance.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear how much support the bills will receive in the Senate or whether they would ultimately be signed into law if approved by both chambers. Lawmakers have not indicated whether amendments or compromises could emerge during floor debate.

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The level of public response, particularly on the gun and medical-malpractice measures, is also uncertain as the session gets underway.

Timeline:

The annual legislative session officially begins Tuesday. The House’s first floor session of the year is scheduled for Thursday morning, with additional votes and debates expected to follow as the session progresses.