State Rep. Patt Maney advanced five of his seven policy bills through the House during the 2026 legislative session, with three measures headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for signature.
- Each policy bill received unanimous support in every House committee and on the House floor.
Three bills saw action during the final week in both chambers. In the House, HB 227 was laid on the table and SB 110 was taken in its place, receiving a unanimous favorable vote. The bill, which clarifies that individuals holding residential leases of 98 years or longer qualify for Florida’s homestead tax exemption, has been ordered enrolled and will be sent to the governor.
Maney amended a piece of HB 613, which did not receive a single committee hearing, into a larger transportation package, SB 488. If the bill is signed into law, disabled veterans will be able to keep their unique alphanumeric license plate upon renewal or reissuance of a new tag.
In the Senate, the companion to HB 177, SB 762, was substituted for the House version and voted on favorably by the full Senate. The bill, which expands flexibility for the offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel when handling capital cases, has been ordered enrolled and will be sent to the governor.
HB 351 and SB 502, which seek to establish concurrent jurisdiction between the State of Florida and U.S. military installations, remained in a holding pattern at the end of session awaiting an additional House vote.
Because of differences in language, the Senate sent the bill back to the House, where Maney could concur with the Senate’s amendment and have the bill voted on and passed, refuse to concur and send back the original House version, or amend the bill again and send it back to the Senate.
HB 199, Maney’s veterans treatment court bill, was sent to DeSantis on Feb. 26.
Maney advanced HB 447, which would make court hearings for mental health and substance abuse cases confidential, through all four committee references to a vote by the full House chamber. The Senate companion did not receive a committee hearing.
HB 139, which establishes guidelines and additional protection for state employees who report misconduct, made it through each of its three committee stops but did not reach the House floor.
The Legislature did not complete the budget in time to finish session on schedule. According to Maney’s office, passing the state’s budget is the Legislature’s constitutional obligation.
