Ron DeSantis, the Republican Governor of Florida, has officially signed a bill that seeks to give well over $70 million in support of fatherhood within his state.
DeSantis put his pen to paper over the recently passed bill as part of a live-streamed video this past Monday morning.
Governor DeSantis signs legislation that will provide more than $70 million to support fatherhood. https://t.co/uXDPga790v
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 11, 2022
The bill in question, House Bill 7065, managed to make it through the state’s Senate late this past March unanimously directly after also rushing through the House sporting another 117-0 unanimous vote.
This new bill will make it a requirement for “the Department of Children and Families and Department of Juvenile Justice to identify and meet the needs of dually-involved children within a specified timeframe; revising information that must be included in a transition plan; requiring prenatal and infant health care delivery programs to include certain father engagement activities; requiring the Department of Children and Families to contract for the development and implementation of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative and to provide grants to community-based not-for-profit organizations to offer certain mentorship programs; designating the month of June as ‘Responsible Fatherhood Month.'”
Additionally, the governor highlighted that the law would not outright solve all of the problems the state was facing in regards to fatherhood but issued a strong statement in regard to the impact this new law could have for dads all across the state of Florida.
“This bill has huge ramifications for someone to reach their God-given potential,” stated DeSantis as he signed the bill.
Chris Sprowls, the Republican House Speaker of Florida, headed up the bill as it made its way into the legislative session.
“From poverty to crime to incarceration, just about every negative outcome we see that faces boys here in Florida and across the country, can be linked back to an absent father in the home,” stated Sprowls.
Last month Senate President @WiltonSimpson and Senators stood on the historic Capitol steps committing with the House to address the fatherhood crisis and transform the lives of our kids in the process. Tonight, the Senate delivered a win for Florida! #ProudFLDad pic.twitter.com/2J50jxxllg
— Chris Sprowls (@ChrisSprowls) March 5, 2022
This bill crops up in the wake of yet another monumental piece of legislation that has received a signature from DeSantis. This past Wednesday, another law was signed that enured the fundamental right for families to visit their loved ones who are being taken care of in hospices, long-term care facilities, and hospitals, promising his people that they will not be “denied the right” to visit their loved ones in their care facilities. As reported by The Daily Wire:
SB 988, the No Patient Left Alone Act, allows a resident, client, or patient the option to designate a visitor who is a family member, friend, guardian, or another person as an essential caregiver, according to a statement from the governor’s office. “The provider must allow in-person visitation by the essential caregiver for at least two hours daily in addition to any other visitation authorized by the provider,” the text of the bill states.
“Throughout the pandemic, the federal government has waived protections for families to visit their loved ones in hospitals and long-term care facilities. That is unacceptable,” DeSantis said in the statement.
“Here in Florida, we recognize that family and human connection is one of the most important aspects of physical, mental, and emotional well-being and we are ensuring Floridians are never again denied the right to see their relatives and friends while in hospitals or nursing homes,” he added.