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SB 1300FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 325
High Impact

New Education and Job Training Programs for Inmates

Original title: Education and Workforce Development for Current and Former Inmates

January 7, 2026

criminal justiceworkforce developmenttransportationsmall businessvocational training

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Where This Stands

Currently Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 325. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Procedural history

10 actions
  1. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 03/02/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
  2. Feb 25, 2026Senate
    Now in Fiscal Policy
  3. Feb 25, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; YEAS 9 NAYS 0
  4. Feb 20, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government, 02/25/26, 1:30 pm, 412 Knott Building
  5. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Now in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government
  6. Feb 11, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by Criminal Justice; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
Show 4 earlier actions
  1. Feb 6, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Criminal Justice, 02/11/26, 3:00 pm, 37 Senate Building
  2. Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced
  3. Jan 12, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Fiscal Policy
  4. Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

The bill creates a new state-funded reimbursement program for small businesses to offset insurance costs when hiring former inmates, while expanding the pool of state transportation funds available for vocational training.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Small business owners

Eligible to apply for state reimbursement of insurance premiums for hiring former inmates.

Inmates

Eligible to participate in new commercial driver license and vocational training programs.

Department of Transportation

Granted expanded authority to spend workforce development funds and manage new training programs.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 7, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill creates new vocational training programs for inmates, specifically for commercial driver licenses, and offers financial incentives to small businesses that hire former inmates. It also allows certain inmates to drive state-owned vehicles for training purposes and expands how transportation department funds can be used for workforce development.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which businesses are eligible for the insurance premium reimbursement?
Businesses headquartered in Florida with 100 or fewer employees as of the end of the previous calendar year are eligible.
Can any former inmate qualify for the hiring reimbursement?
No. The employee must be a U.S. citizen or authorized noncitizen, proficient in English, and not convicted of specific offenses listed in s. 945.091(5).
What kind of training can inmates receive under this bill?
Inmates can receive training for and firefighter certification.

Why It Matters

The bill creates a new state-funded reimbursement program for small businesses to offset insurance costs when hiring former inmates, while expanding the pool of state transportation funds available for vocational training.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededsenate2/25/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

12

Yes

10

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededhouse2/11/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

9

Yes

9

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Expansion of Transportation Funds

The bill shifts the use of transportation workforce development funds from strictly construction-related training to broader transportation industry training.

Department of Transportation

Connected Entities

organizationFiscal Policy“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →
locationKnott Building“Meeting location”Map →
organizationCriminal Justice“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →
locationSenate Building“Meeting location”Map →
organizationAppropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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