Gov. DeSantis signs consumer protection, teaching bills in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis on Thursday held a news conference in downtown Jacksonville.

DeSantis signed legislation that he said will bolster protections for:

• Consumers, by providing recourse for individuals who believe they have been de-banked for political reasons;
• Teachers, by ensuring “they are not subjected to trainings that teach an ideology of hate, but instead focus on achieving mastery of academic content”; and
• Employees, by taking steps to prevent ideological discrimination or harassment in the workplace.

Gov. DeSantis signed HB 989 and HB 1291 into law. HB 989 does the following:

• Increases protection for customers of financial institutions operating in Florida from unwarranted account cancellations and restrictions through a coordinated complaint and investigatory process within the Office of Financial Regulation.
• Removes Florida’s exclusive preference of holding public funds with banks, particularly with out-of-state big banks, by allowing community-based credit unions to hold public funds.
• Permits the Chief Financial Officer to have a dedicated consumer-liaison for assistance dealing with the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

HB 1291 does the following:

• Prohibits teacher preparation programs from “indoctrinating prospective teachers by teaching distorted versions of significant historical events”; and
• Prevents the infusion of identity politics in teaching methods and prohibits instructing that theories such as systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in America’s institutions.