Community Transparency And Employment Licensing Bills Head To Senate Floor

Tallahassee, FL – Today in the Senate Committee on Rules, two bills (SB 42 and SB 50) sponsored by Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) passed unanimously. SB 42, entitled “Professional Licensing Requirements for Barbers and Cosmetologists”, would prevent the licensing boards from using history of non-violent incarceration for grounds of denial of licensing. SB 50, entitled “Provision of Homeowners’ Association Rules and Covenants”, would require home owners associations to provide physical or digital copies of the associations’ rules and covenants to members of the association.

SB 42 would only apply to convictions, or any other adjudications, for a crime that occurred more than 3 years before an application. Convictions of specific crimes – namely, Sexual Predators as defined in statute 775.21 (4) (a)1 and Forcible Felonies as defined in statute 776.08  – have exceptions to the bill and will be grounds for the denial of an application. The applicable boards must approve educational program credits offered to inmates in a correctional institution or facility for the purpose of satisfying training requirements for a license.

SB 50 will allow for associations to establish a distribution method and timeframe for providing updated copies of rules. If rules of the association are amended, the association must provide members with an updated copy of the rules or covenants. The requirements of this bill can be met by providing physical copies, digital copies, or posting a link on the homeowners association’s website if it is accessible to all members of the association.

“I am pleased to see these two bills move through committee today and am looking forward to presenting them on the Senate floor very soon. By passing SB 42, we can work toward preventing recidivism through providing opportunities for work while also incentivizing inmates to utilize the programs offered while they were in prison” said Stewart. “With the passing of SB 50, we can encourage transparency between homeowners associations and residents while pre-emptively alleviating misunderstandings between HOA’s and homeowners,” said Stewart.

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