Political Insider: Florida a GOP outlier on abortion measures

May 26-- May 26--Florida lawmakers crammed a lot into their 60-day legislative session this year, leading Senate President Bill Galvano to call it the most substantive session he can recall during his 15 years in the Legislature.

"That seems to be the refrain from everybody who's spoken to me about it," Galvano said during an interview last week at his law office in downtown Bradenton.

Galvano ticked off a list of weighty bills that passed this year, from the biggest expansion of Florida's highway system since the 1950s to a new school voucher program and a school safety measure that allows teachers to carry guns.

Lawmakers also made texting while driving a primary offense, legalized medical marijuana in smokable forms, approved a series of election reforms aimed at addressing problems that occurred during the 2018 election and passed major health care reforms.

It definitely was a busy two months. But one issue that did not gain traction is the one that is sending shock waves across the country right now: Restricting abortion.

The state House and Senate both are controlled by Republicans and so is the governor's mansion, so it was noteworthy that Florida did not follow other GOP-controlled states such as Alabama, Georgia and Missouri that passed strict new anti-abortion laws this year.

Those laws -- Alabama's bans virtually all abortions -- have sparked outrage among abortion rights advocates. They are being pitched now because many believe a U.S. Supreme Court that has been reshaped by two justices appointed by President Donald Trump is primed to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined women have a constitutional right to an abortion.

Overturning Roe would give states more flexibility to restrict abortions. But the inability of anti-abortion legislation to advance in the Florida Legislature this year shows that some GOP-controlled states are likely to still proceed with caution on an issue that is politically explosive.

Galvano says he is "pro-life" and supports further restricting abortion. He expects the Legislature to revisit the issue next year and said he favors a bill that would require minors to get parental approval before having an abortion.

The parental consent bill passed the House this year but only cleared one Senate committee. Galvano noted that it's not uncommon for a bill to require multiple sessions to gain approval.

"I'm sure we'll be back again next year and proponents will have to work with the members and we'll see where they go from there," Galvano said. "I myself am pro-life but these are not easy bills."

While Galvano supports the parental consent law, he cast doubt on whether more restrictive abortion bills will advance in the near future.

Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio all passed "heartbeat" bills this year that outlaw abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around week six of pregnancy.

The current standard that evolved out of Roe and a subsequent Supreme Court ruling makes abortion legal until roughly the 24th week of pregnancy.

A heartbeat bill was filed in the Florida House this year but didn't advance. A so-called "fetal pain" bill also was filed this year by Sarasota GOP Sen. Joe Gruters. It effectively would outlaw abortion after roughly the 20th week of pregnancy. But that bill also failed to gain traction.

"We had a couple of bills, one was the parental notification which I support," Galvano said. "The factors of the other ones I think really need to be vetted out before the Senate starts making a final decision on where it goes."

Unlike deep red states such as Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, Florida is a swing state that voted for former President Barack Obama twice before going for Trump. There may be some concern in GOP circles that moving too fast on abortion in Florida could alienate some voters -- especially moderate women -- and hurt Trump's reelection bid.

Galvano also has to contend with the political realities of the Senate, which tends to be more moderate than the House.

Republicans hold 23 Senate seats and Democrats hold 17. But two of the GOP-held Senate seats went for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. Aggressive anti-abortion efforts might not play well in those districts.

"We just got out of session; we'll see what's filed," Galvano said of the prospects for abortion legislation advancing next year. "We have a process for a reason and these are issues that would have to get vetted through the process."

Yet while there may be obstacles to advancing strict new abortion laws through the Florida Senate, there is an appetite for such legislation, including within the local delegation.

Gruters has championed anti-abortion measures and two local state representatives -- Bradenton GOP Rep. Will Robinson and Sarasota GOP Rep. Tommy Gregory -- co-sponsored the heartbeat bill that was introduced in the House.

"I am a strong believer in the sanctity of life," Robinson told the Manatee Tiger Bay Club recently. "Frankly, I would have liked to have seen one of those bills make it across the finish line, but they didn't."

___

(c)2019 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla.

Visit Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla. at www.heraldtribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.