What do these bills do?
HB 341 and SB 288 allow the owner of a car or other motor vehicle to share on their motor vehicle registration whether they have any of the following disabilities, or if they are the parent or legal guardian of someone with any of the following disabilities:
- autism;
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder;
- down syndrome;
- Alzheimer’s disease;
- traumatic brain injury;
- posttraumatic stress disorder;
- diabetes;
- an autoimmune disorder;
- deafness;
- blindness;
- and any other mentally or physically limiting disorder.
If someone has one of these disabilities and provides documentation from a doctor to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) of such diagnosis, that information will be included in the Driver and Vehicle Information Database and in the Florida Crime Information Center system, commonly referred to as the FCIC.
Why do we oppose this bill?
Only the owner and co-owner of the vehicle can add or remove this information from the registration. If the person with a disability is not the owner or co-owner of the vehicle they are not able to remove this information on their own.
If someone was added by a parent as a child, they are not able to remove this information about themselves from their parents’ registration when they turn 18.
If someone’s disability is added to a vehicle registration, this information is also included in the FCIC. This is a database that is available to the public to search and it is where information about wanted criminals and missing people is stored. If someone has to go through a background check before starting a job, this is one of the databases that is searched to make sure they haven’t committed a crime that would prevent them from working at the job they applied for. If someone’s disability diagnosis is in the FCIC, their employer will be informed about their disability even though they might not have wanted to share it with their employer.
How you can help to stop these bills
HB 341 will be heard Monday (2/5) at 2:30 PM in the House Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee. Please email the members of this committee at the email addresses below and tell them to vote no on HB 341!
Committee members:
- Committee Chair Alex Andrade - alex.andrade@myfloridahouse.gov
- Vice Chair Linda Chaney - Linda.Chaney@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative David Silvers - David.Silvers@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Bruce Hadley Antone - bruce.antone@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Kimberly Berfield - kim.berfield@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Robbie Brackett - robert.brackett@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Dan Daley - Dan.Daley@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Tiffany Esposito - tiffany.esposito@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Mike Giallombardo - Mike.Giallombardo@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Rita Harris - rita.harris@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Chip LaMarca - Chip.LaMarca@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Vicki L. Lopez - Vicki.Lopez@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Susan Plasencia - Susan.Plasencia@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Felicia Simone Robinson - Felicia.Robinson@myfloridahouse.gov
- Representative Brad Yeager - Brad.Yeager@myfloridahouse.gov
You can watch the House hearing on the Florida Channel.
SB 288 will be heard Tuesday (2/6) at 8:30 AM in the Senate Transportation Committee. Please email the members of this committee at the email addresses below and tell them to vote no on SB 288!
Committee members:
- Chair Nick DiCeglie - DiCeglie.Nick.web@flsenate.gov
- Vice Chair Tracie Davis - Davis.Tracie.web@flsenate.gov
- Senator Joe Gruters - gruters.joe.web@flsenate.gov
- Senator Ed Hooper - Hooper.Ed.web@flsenate.gov
- Senator Victor M. Torres - torres.victor.web@flsenate.gov
- Senator Jay Trumbull - trumbull.jay.web@flsenate.gov