Here is what is headed for law in Florida for 2019:

Office of Early Learning: Requires OEL to develop certain training & course standards for school readiness program providers; provides requirements for such training & standards; requires such training & standards to be integrated into certain preservice and in-service training requirements. Effective Date: July 1, 2019

Vaping: Implementing s. 20, Art. X of the State Constitution, as amended by Amendment 9 (2018); prohibiting vaping in an enclosed indoor workplace, except as otherwise provided; providing exceptions to the prohibition against vaping and smoking in an enclosed indoor workplace; requiring the proprietor or other person in charge of an enclosed indoor workplace to develop and implement a policy regarding specified smoking and vaping prohibitions, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2019

Immunization Registry: Revises provisions relating to communicable disease prevention & control program under DOH; provides that certain students who obtain vaccinations from colleges or universities may refuse to be included in immunization registry; requires certain health care practitioners to report data to immunization registry; requires students to have certificate of immunization on file with immunization registry; requires district school boards & governing authorities of private schools to establish & enforce policy for age-appropriate screening of scoliosis. Effective Date: January 1, 2021

S.B. 7030 will allow local school boards to decide if they want to give guns to teachers who volunteer for the job, and are willing to undergo 144 hours of training and psychological screening. About 25-30 districts now take part in the school guardian program, though some of them have already said they will not arm teachers. The bill also focuses on improving mental health services and hardening schools and requires school officials to report crimes on campus and make assessments of students considered to be threats.

In a historic expansion of school choice in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed into a law a bill that creates a new, state-funded voucher program. The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), the new state-funded program approved last month by both chambers, will eliminate a waiting list of 13,000 families seeking a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship(FTC) for their children and expand school choice options for thousands of others. The new scholarship, which will be funded through the Florida Education Finance Program rather than by private corporate contributions like the FTC, will accommodate 18,000 students in the first year and add roughly 7,000 additional students in future years.