Florida Senate - 2025                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1172
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì198256EÎ198256                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/17/2025           .                                
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       The Committee on Commerce and Tourism (Jones) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Before line 27
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Paragraphs (c), (f), and (g) of subsection (1)
    6  of section 295.07, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph
    7  (h) is added to that subsection, to read:
    8         295.07 Preference in appointment and retention.—
    9         (1) The state and its political subdivisions shall give
   10  preference in appointment and retention in positions of
   11  employment to:
   12         (c) A wartime veteran as defined in s. 1.01(14), who has
   13  served at least 1 day during a wartime period, and his or her
   14  spouse. Active duty for training may not be allowed for
   15  eligibility under this paragraph.
   16         (f) A veteran as defined in s. 1.01(14) and his or her
   17  spouse. Active duty for training may not be allowed for
   18  eligibility under this paragraph.
   19         (g) A current member of any reserve component of the United
   20  States Armed Forces or the Florida National Guard and his or her
   21  spouse.
   22         (h)The spouse of an active duty servicemember serving in
   23  the United States Armed Forces. Active duty training may not be
   24  allowed for eligibility under this paragraph.
   25         Section 2. Section 295.188, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   26  read:
   27         295.188 Preference in hiring veterans and their spouses for
   28  private employers.—
   29         (1) The Legislature intends to establish a permissive
   30  preference in private employment for certain veterans and their
   31  spouses.
   32         (2) A private employer may adopt an employment policy that
   33  gives preference in hiring to an honorably discharged veteran,
   34  as defined in s. 1.01(14); the spouse of a veteran with a
   35  service-connected disability, as described in s. 295.07(1)(b);
   36  the unremarried widow or widower of a veteran who died of a
   37  service-connected disability, as described in s. 295.07(1)(d);
   38  or the unremarried widow or widower of a member of the United
   39  States Armed Forces who died in the line of duty under combat
   40  related conditions; a current member of any reserve component of
   41  the United States Armed Forces or the Florida National Guard or
   42  his or her spouse; or the spouse of an active duty servicemember
   43  serving in the United States Armed Forces. Active duty training
   44  may not be allowed for eligibility under this subsection. Such
   45  policy shall be applied uniformly to employment decisions
   46  regarding hiring and promotion.
   47         (3) These preferences are not considered violations of any
   48  state or local equal employment opportunity law.
   49  
   50  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   51  And the title is amended as follows:
   52         Delete lines 2 - 7
   53  and insert:
   54         An act relating to preferences for veterans and
   55         military spouses; amending s. 295.07, F.S.; requiring
   56         the state and its political subdivisions to give
   57         preference in appointment and retention in positions
   58         of employment to the spouses of wartime veterans,
   59         veterans, members of any reserve component of the
   60         United States Armed Forces or the Florida National
   61         Guard, and certain active duty servicemembers;
   62         amending s. 295.188, F.S.; authorizing private
   63         employers to adopt employment policies that give
   64         preference in hiring to current members of any reserve
   65         component of the United States Armed Forces or the
   66         Florida National Guard and their spouses and the
   67         spouses of active duty servicemembers serving in the
   68         United States Armed Forces; prohibiting members on
   69         active duty training from being eligible for such
   70         preference; amending s. 295.187, F.S.; defining the
   71         term “veteran-owned or military spouse-owned
   72         business”; providing for contracting preferences for
   73         such businesses; creating s. 295.189, F.S.; providing
   74         a short title; providing