The Florida Senate

Miami, Fla. – Today, September 21, Senator Garcia will preside over the first interim committee meeting of the Florida Senate’s Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs for the upcoming 2022 Legislative Session. On September 9, President Simpson (R-Trilby) announced that Senator Ileana Garcia (R-Miami) would serve as the new Chair of the Committee. In setting the agenda for the first interim committee meeting, Senator Garcia scheduled an update on the implementation of Senate Bills 80 and 96. Passed during the 2021 Legislation Session, the bills provide increased safety and stability for children within Florida’s Child Welfare System.

"Senator Garcia is a passionate advocate for the elderly, foster children, and victims of domestic violence. I have every confidence she will be an excellent committee chair," said President Simpson.

Senator Garcia has dedicated her career to addressing issues that disproportionately impact the elderly and most vulnerable within her hometown of Allapattah and the surrounding greater Miami area, and this has served as the foundation for her service in the Florida Senate.

“We need to return the favor to our abuelitos, the people that raised us, and make sure they enjoy the rest of their lives as we work toward building a better tomorrow. To build that better tomorrow, we need to make sure our children, the next generation, do not spend the rest of their adult lives recovering from their childhood,” says Senator Garcia. “I thank President Simpson for entrusting me with this important position. I am deeply honored to chair this prestigious committee and to be working alongside my colleagues to take care of our most vulnerable.”

During the 2021 Legislative Session, Senator Garcia served on the Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs and spearheaded two pieces of key legislation, now law, to enhance protections for victims of domestic violence as well as employees and advocates at domestic violence shelters.

Senate Bill 70, Domestic Violence Centers, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 16, 2021, makes it a first-degree misdemeanor, or a felony upon a second or subsequent conviction, for any person to maliciously publish, disseminate, or disclose any descriptive information or image that may identify the location of a certified domestic violence center.

Senate Bill 68, Public Records/Staff and Domestic Violence Advocates of Domestic Violence Centers, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 4, 2021, exempts from public record specified personal information of current and former staff and domestic violence advocates of domestic violence centers certified by the Department of Children and Families, and specified personal information relating to their spouses and children.

For more information, please visit flsenate.gov.