Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 254
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       9-00018-22                                             2022254__
    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 expressly prohibit religious services or
    6         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  expressly prohibit a religious institution from conducting
   18  regular religious services or activities. However, a general
   19  provision in an emergency order which applies uniformly to all
   20  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.