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FL H0043
Bill
Status
Failed
4/30/2021
Primary Sponsor
Joseph Geller
Click for details
AI Summary
- Adds gender and gender identity as protected categories under Florida's hate crime law (s. 775.085, F.S.), allowing penalty reclassification for bias-motivated offenses based on these characteristics
- Defines "gender identity" as a person's gender-related identity, appearance, or behavior, regardless of whether it differs from that traditionally associated with the person's physiology or assigned sex at birth
- Broadens the disability-based hate crime statute (s. 775.0863, F.S.) by replacing "mental or physical disability" with the simplified term "disability," redefined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
- Changes the applicability of both hate crime statutes from prejudice against "the victim" to prejudice based on a characteristic of "any person," covering situations where the targeted individual may not actually belong to the protected class
- Reclassification increases offense severity by one degree (e.g., second-degree misdemeanor to first-degree misdemeanor, first-degree felony to life felony), with an effective date of October 1, 2021
Legislative Description
Offenses Evidencing Prejudice
Last Action
Died in Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee
4/30/2021
Committee Referrals
Criminal Justice and Public Safety Subcommittee1/15/2021
Full Bill Text
No bill text available