Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 194
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì321124lÎ321124                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  02/24/2026           .                                
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       The Committee on Fiscal Policy (Jones) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 683.338, Florida Statutes, is created to
    6  read:
    7         683.338 Day of Civic Engagement.—
    8         (1) October 14 of each year is designated as a “Day of
    9  Civic Engagement.”
   10         (2) The Governor may annually issue a proclamation
   11  designating October 14 as a “Day of Civic Engagement.”
   12         (3) The Department of Education, school districts, state
   13  universities, and state colleges are encouraged to hold events
   14  to promote civic engagement, including opportunities for
   15  individuals to engage in civil discourse.
   16         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
   17  
   18  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   19  And the title is amended as follows:
   20         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   21  and insert:
   22                        A bill to be entitled                      
   23         An act relating to a Day of Civic Engagement; creating
   24         s. 683.338, F.S.; designating October 14 of each year
   25         as a “Day of Civic Engagement”; authorizing the
   26         Governor to issue an annual proclamation; providing
   27         that the Department of Education, school districts,
   28         state universities, and state colleges are encouraged
   29         to hold events to promote civic engagement; providing
   30         an effective date.
   31  
   32         WHEREAS, George Floyd was born October 14, 1973, in
   33  Fayetteville, North Carolina, and
   34         WHEREAS, George Floyd died by asphyxiation after a police
   35  officer kneeled on his neck for more than 9 minutes in
   36  Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020, and
   37         WHEREAS, the murder of George Floyd led to widespread civic
   38  demonstrations across the United States, including in this
   39  state, and
   40         WHEREAS, thousands of Floridians, including students, were
   41  inspired to exercise their first amendment rights of freedom of
   42  speech and freedom of assembly to join demonstrations calling
   43  for an end to racial injustice and police brutality, and
   44         WHEREAS, George Floyd’s tragic death was not only a
   45  national loss but also deeply felt within Florida’s civic and
   46  educational communities, and
   47         WHEREAS, Charlie Kirk was born October 14, 1993, in
   48  Arlington Heights, Illinois, and
   49         WHEREAS, Charlie Kirk was a co-founder and the executive
   50  director of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization with
   51  thousands of chapters nationwide, including active chapters at
   52  colleges and universities across this state, where his work
   53  inspired Florida students to embrace civic participation and the
   54  principles of liberty and democracy, and
   55         WHEREAS, Charlie Kirk’s tragic death on September 10, 2025,
   56  was not only a national loss but also deeply felt within
   57  Florida’s civic and educational communities, and
   58         WHEREAS, the ideals of free speech, open debate, civic
   59  education, youth leadership, and civic engagement are
   60  fundamental for this state’s civic and educational communities,
   61  NOW, THEREFORE,