Florida Senate - 2022                              CS for SB 254
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Rules; and Senators Brodeur and Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       595-01987-22                                           2022254c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to religious institutions; creating s.
    3         252.64, F.S.; defining the term “religious
    4         institution”; providing that an emergency order may
    5         not directly or indirectly prohibit religious services
    6         or activities; providing an exception under certain
    7         circumstances; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Section 252.64, Florida Statutes, is created to
   12  read:
   13         252.64 Protection of religious institutions.—
   14         (1) For purposes of this section, the term “religious
   15  institution” has the same meaning as in s. 496.404.
   16         (2) An emergency order authorized by this part may not
   17  directly or indirectly prohibit a religious institution from
   18  conducting regular religious services or activities. However, a
   19  general provision in an emergency order which applies uniformly
   20  to all entities in the affected jurisdiction may be applied to a
   21  religious institution if the provision is in furtherance of a
   22  compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive
   23  means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
   24         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.