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