Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0393 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	HB 393 2023
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7	7	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
8	8	hb0393-00
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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to gay and transgender panic legal 2
16	16	defenses; creating s. 900.06, F.S.; providing a short 3
17	17	title; providing legislative findings; defining terms; 4
18	18	prohibiting individuals from using a nonviolent sexual 5
19	19	advance or specified perceptions or beliefs about 6
20	20	another individual as a defense to a criminal offense, 7
21	21	to excuse or justify the conduct of an individual who 8
22	22	commits a criminal offense, or to mitigate the 9
23	23	severity of a criminal offense; providing an effective 10
24	24	date. 11
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26	26	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
27	27	14
28	28	Section 1. Section 900.06, Florida Statutes, is created to 15
29	29	read: 16
30	30	900.06 Use of gay and transgender panic legal defenses 17
31	31	prohibited.— 18
32	32	(1) SHORT TITLE.—This act may be cited as the "Gay and 19
33	33	Transgender Panic Legal Defenses Prohibition Act." 20
34	34	(2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. —The Legislature finds that gay 21
35	35	and transgender panic legal defenses raised in criminal 22
36	36	proceedings characte rize sexual orientation and gender 23
37	37	expression or gender identity as objectively reasonable excuses 24
38	38	for a perpetrator's loss of self -control, and that these 25
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40	40	HB 393 2023
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42	42
43	43
44	44	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
45	45	hb0393-00
46	46	Page 2 of 2
47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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49	49
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51	51	defenses thereby illegitimately attempt to mitigate the 26
52	52	responsibility of the perpetrator for harm d one to lesbian, gay, 27
53	53	bisexual, or transgender individuals. 28
54	54	(3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 29
55	55	(a) "Gay and transgender panic legal defense" means a 30
56	56	legal strategy that asks a judge or a jury to find that a 31
57	57	victim's sexual orientation o r gender identity is the cause of 32
58	58	the defendant's reaction and commission of a criminal offense. 33
59	59	(b) "Gender expression" or "gender identity" means gender -34
60	60	related identity, appearance, or behavior, regardless of whether 35
61	61	such gender-related identity, appe arance, or behavior is 36
62	62	different from that traditionally associated with a person's 37
63	63	physiology or assigned sex at birth. 38
64	64	(c) "Sexual orientation" means an individual's actual or 39
65	65	perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality. 40
66	66	(4) PROHIBITION ON GAY AND TRANSGENDER PANIC LEGAL 41
67	67	DEFENSES.—A nonviolent sexual advance or the perception or 42
68	68	belief, even if inaccurate, of the sex, sexual orientation, 43
69	69	gender expression, or gender identity of an individual may not 44
70	70	be used as a defense to a criminal offe nse, to excuse or to 45
71	71	justify the conduct of an individual who commits a criminal 46
72	72	offense, or to mitigate the severity of a criminal offense 47
73	73	during sentencing. 48
74	74	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 49