CALL TO ACTION #1 for SB 1252 — Red Lettering on Driver’s Licenses

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This is the Senate companion bill to HB 1085 that is also moving through the House committees.

Now the Companion Bill is starting to move through the Senate committees.  Initially, the Senate version did not include the red lettering; however, it was recently amended to make the designators in Red.

SB 1252 is scheduled for a meeting this Monday, March 27, 2023, with the Senate Transportation Committee at 11:30. See Names and phone numbers below and what needs to be done.

Please make these calls today.

 

Information Pertaining to This Bill:

• SB 1252 (lines 841-860) has been amended to say:

All licenses for the operation of motor vehicles or identification cards originally issued or reissued by the department to persons who are designated as sexual predators…or subject to registration as sexual offenders…must have on the front of the license or identification card, in a distinctive format and printed in the color red…either the marking “SEXUAL PREDATOR” or the statute number.

• This bill does NOT include the other personal information in red that HB 1085 does.
• This bill, if passed, will take effect July 1, 2023.

 

What Needs To Be Done:

1. Call all members of the Senate Transportation Committee.
2. Whether you talk to a person or voicemail, you must give your name and most likely your phone number. Remember that all voicemails are checked, so you can call after hours.
3. State that you OPPOSE the part of the bill that would require the red lettering on driver’s licenses for people on the registry.
4. Mention that you are a constituent if you happen to live in the senator’s district.
5. Give two brief reasons why you oppose the red lettering on the licenses.
6. Ask family members and friends to also call to oppose the red lettering.

 

Talking Points:

1. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Louisiana’s appeal of a decision against its 2006 law requiring that people on the sex offense registry have their driver’s license or identification card marked with “SEX OFFENDER” in orange letters. The Louisiana Supreme Court said the marking was compelled speech and could not be justified by the state’s interest in protecting public safety.
2. In 2019, a federal judge struck down Alabama’s sex offense registration law that required registrants to carry a driver’s license or official ID with “CRIMINAL SEX OFFENDER” emblazoned in red.
3. If this bill is passed as is, will Florida also be facing a costly lawsuit?
4. While there is no research showing a need for the red lettering on licenses, there is an abundance of research showing that the sexual recidivism rate for people with a past sex offense is lower than that for all other crimes, with the exception of murder.
5. Research has shown that at least 90% of FUTURE sex crimes will be committed by people NOT on the registry.
6. The markings on the licenses are intended to assist law enforcement, not the public.
7. These driver’s licenses and identification cards are required to be shown in many day-to-day activities: in financial institutions; to TSA officers at the airport; to rent a car; at doctors’ offices; etc.  The red lettering then becomes a type of Scarlett Letter for people on the registry – compelled speech.
8. The author of this bill only sees the red lettering as being used to assist law enforcement. He does not fully understand the punitive nature of this bill for people on the registry.

 

We strongly suggest you DO NOT THREATEN LAWSUITS AS THE THREATS DO NOT DETER THE LEGISLATORS.  IT DOES TEND TO ANTAGONIZE THEM AND DISMISSES THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE REST OF YOUR MESSAGE.

 

Phone Numbers for the Senators on the Transportation Committee: 

1. Senator Nick DiCeglie, Chair, (R):     (850) 487-5018, diceglie.nick.web@flsenate.gov
2. Senator Tracie Davis, Vice Chair, (D):    (850) 487-5005, Davis.tracie.web@flsenate.gov
3. Senator Jim Boyd (R):    (850) 487-5020, Boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov
4. Senator Doug Broxson (R):    (850) 595-1036, Broxson.doug.web@flsenate.gov
5. Senator Colleen Burton (R):    (850) 487-5012, Burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov
6. Senator Joe Gruters (R):    (850) 487-5022, Gruters.joe.web@flsenate.gov
7. Senator Ed Hooper (R):    (850) 487-5021, Hooper.ed.web@flsenate.gov
8. Senator Jason W. B. Pizzo (D):    850) 487-5037, Pizzo.jason.web@flsenate.gov
9. Senator Victor M. Torres, Jr. (D):    (850) 487-5025, Torres.victor.web@flsenate.gov
10. Senator Jay Trumbull (R):    (850) 487-5002, Trumbull.jay.web@flsenate.gov

 

Every call gets heard and tallied.  Every respectful conversation with a staffer is an excellent opportunity to change a mind about our community with someone who has direct contact with a lawmaker.  YOUR EFFORTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

This Call To Action has been superseded. Comments are now disabled.
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW CTA