What Does the New Florida Law Mean? 🤔
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Season 2: Episode 98 Description
In today's episode: 🖊️ We're here with an update on the new law that was passed in Florida and to get you up to speed on how laws are made. 🏳️🌈 Florida’s governor signed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill into law, which is a very big deal for kids in Florida, and here to tell us more is Correspondent Nathalie Alonso. ✔️ Fun Fact Check: this Floridian animal uses tools to trick birds. And, test your US Government knowledge on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources
Kids in the House - Grade School - How a Bill Becomes a Law
The Legislative Process | house.gov
The Creature Feature: 10 Fun Facts About the American Alligator | WIRED
American Alligator | National Geographic
Epic is making a Lego metaverse (axios.com)
Why a new jaguar sighting near the Arizona-Mexico border gives experts hope (nationalgeographic.com)
Connecticut mechanic finds art worth millions in dumpster at abandoned barn | Art | The Guardian
Number of governmental employees in the U.S. 2020 | Statista
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:00
Students listen to their teachers every day, but who gets to tell teachers what they're allowed to teach?
Sound Bit 0:07
It forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Some of the lawmakers behind this bill, their argument is kids have their whole lives to sort out their sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill which does not define what is age-appropriate would allow parents to sue school districts or teachers if they believe the policy is being violated.
Bethany Van Delft 0:29
Today, we'll update you on the new law that was passed in Florida and get you up to speed on how laws are made. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Tuesday, April 12th. And this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 0:42
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:49
We've covered some of the new laws being passed in the US, but did you ever wonder how a law becomes a law? The process is pretty much the same in state governments and the federal government, so let's break it down. Any law starts as a bill and any bill starts with an idea. Sometimes from a citizen just like you, sometimes from a representative. After some research writing and a lot of rewriting the bill is introduced to the House of Representatives. In the federal government, there's a special box called a hopper that the bills are put into. After that, a clerk gives the bill and number and reads it to everyone. Then the bill goes into committee. That's where our elected officials who are experts on the subject of the bill will get together and decide if the bill is ready to be voted on. If they think it needs more work. They send it to a subcommittee and get the opinions of even more experts. When all the committees think the bill is ready. They report it to the house. Then the debate begins. Representatives talk about why a bill should or should not become a law. They sometimes make changes to the bill while they debate. When there are no more changes to be made. And everyone is arguing for or against the bill. They're ready to vote. It's about time. Now how do they vote? There are actually three ways there's the old-fashioned way, where representatives say if they support passing the bill or know if they're against it. They can stand up and be counted for or against the bill. Or they can vote using a machine. Representatives can also abstain, which means they don't say yes or no to the bill. For a bill to pass in the House of Representatives. It needs a simple majority of the vote and the same for the Senate. So if there are 100 votes and 51 are yes, the bill passes. If a bill passes in the House of Representatives, the next step is the Senate, which takes pretty much the same steps committee subcommittee, report, debate, and vote but in the Senate, voting is all by voice, aye. And no. If a bill makes it all the way through the House of Representatives and passes in the Senate, it will make it to the President or governor's desk. They can either veto it, which means sending it back to the Senate, sign it and make it a law, or do nothing. If Congress is in session, the bill will become law anyway after 10 days. But if Congress is not in session, the bill won't become a law until it's signed. That's called a pocket veto and it's pretty rare. Okay, well, that's all become a love. Even just talking about how to make laws tiring. Florida's governor signed the "Don't Say Gay" bill into law, which is a very big deal for kids in Florida. Here to give us an update is Ten News correspondent Nathalie Alonso.
Nathalie Alonso 4:07
A new Florida law that prohibits discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in state classrooms has sparked outrage all across the country. It's officially called the parental rights in education law. But LGBTQ activists have another name for the don't say gay law. What does that mean? People who support this law say its purpose is to let parents decide what their kids are learning in school. But many others have pointed out that it's simply an attack on people who identify as LGBTQ, and that it makes it hard for LGBTQ students and teachers to feel safe and comfortable expressing who they are in school, which is both cruel and unfair. celebrities, politicians, and other public figures have condemned what President Joe Biden described as a hateful bill. And on March 22, some Disney employees even walked out on the job to protest. High school students have also organized rallies to protest the Dante gay law, not just in Florida, but also in Denver, New York, and other cities. Wow. It's good that they're raising their voices because unfortunately, that “don't say gay” law is not the only one of its kind. Oh, geez. Bills that would also limit the discussion of LGBTQ topics in schools are being considered in Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. And the governor of Texas has said that he would like to see a similar law passed in his state. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma State legislature is considering banning books that discuss LGBTQ topics from public school libraries. That's unbelievable. Those are just a few examples of the kinds of hostility young LGBTQ people are facing right now. It's unclear at this point, which of these laws will hold up. But what is clear is that even with all the progress we've made, we still have a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity.
Bethany Van Delft 6:10
Thank you, Nathalie. We at the Ten stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Tessa got any fun facts about animals?
Tessa Flannery 6:24
You know, I do, Bethany. How about animals native to Florida, like alligators. Did you know alligators use tools? What? It's true. Alligators balance sticks and branches on their heads to try to trick birds that are looking for materials to build nests. When an unsuspecting bird lands on the alligator. It slides out. I guess when you've been around for 150 million years you learn a trick or two.
Bethany Van Delft 6:53
And now, here to give us the news rundown is our head writer Ryan Willard.
Sound Bit 7:05
Thank you, Bethany. The makers of fortnight and Lego are teaming up to build a Lego-themed virtual world. Minecraft and Roblox have a new competitor. Because Epic Games and Lego describe the project as a place for kids to play in the metaverse. We don't know much about the project yet, and there's no release date. But we do know that Epic Games and Lego make some of the coolest stuff so we can't wait to play whatever they're building. Yes, a Jaguar was spotted near the Arizona-Mexico border. Jaguars once roamed throughout New Mexico and Arizona. But over the last two centuries, hunters exterminated the US population of Jaguars. This is an incredibly rare sighting. They named the young male Jaguar l bonito, which means the beautiful in Spanish, and finding a young Jaguar so close suggests that they're breeding close to the border and might be coming back and reclaiming their old territory. A man in Connecticut found hundreds of art pieces in a dumpster and they're worth millions of dollars. Jared Whipple, a mechanic found the dirt-covered painting sculptures and small drawings in a dumpster near a barn that belonged to Francis Hines and abstract artists who passed away in 2016. Whipple loved the art and how to evaluate it and learn that Francis Hines was a well-known artist and that the collection is worth millions. While exciting. We at the 10 News do not recommend you try dumpster diving. Leave that to the grownups. Back to you, Bethany.
Bethany Van Delft 8:33
Lucky you, it's...
Various Voices 8:35
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 8:39
Trivia on the Ten. The US government, along with state and local governments employ a huge number of Americans. Can you guess how many people in the United States work for the federal, state, and local governments? Is it a) 11 million b) 17 million or c) 23 million? Did you guess it? The answer is c. 23,000,019.7 million people work for state and local governments. Well, 2.9 million people work for the federal government. That's incredible. That is a lot of folks working together to keep the USA running smoothly. Thank you very much. That's our show. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, and Tessa Flannery. Nathalie Alonso contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft. And thanks for listening to the Ten News, bye! Capitol Hill, wow. It's a long long wait while I'm sitting in the committee, but I know I'll be alone and they only hope and pray that I will. But today I am still just the bill. Oh no, is my mic on?
