Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1227 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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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	+	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15		An act relating to Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day; 2
16	16		amending s. 683.01, F.S.; designating Tuskegee Airmen 3
17	17		Commemoration Day, which occurs on the fourth Thursday 4
18	18		in March, as a legal holiday; providing an effective 5
19	19		date. 6
20	20		7
21	21		WHEREAS, before World War II, African Americans had very 8
22	22		limited roles in the defense of the United States and none in 9
23	23		military aviation, and when the nation was drawn into the war, 10
24	24		African Americans aspired to more meaningful jobs in the 11
25	25		military, including flying and maintaining aircraft, and 12
26	26		WHEREAS, as the rapid expansion of aircraft production 13
27	27		during the war created a greater need fo r military pilots, 14
28	28		public outcry from civil rights groups and black professional 15
29	29		organizations exhorted the United States War Department to begin 16
30	30		training black pilots in the Army Air Corps, and 17
31	31		WHEREAS, the United States War Department's Civilian Pilot 18
32	32		Training Program (CPTP) authorized colleges and universities to 19
33	33		train students in order to increase the number of civilian 20
34	34		pilots and thereby increase the nation's military preparedness, 21
35	35		and 22
36	36		WHEREAS, Alabama's Tuskegee Institute was one of six black 23
37	37		colleges and universities chosen to participate in the CPTP, was 24
38	38		later selected to offer advanced training, and was the primary 25
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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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51	51		flight training facility for the student pilots who would become 26
52	52		the famed Tuskegee Airmen, and 27
53	53		WHEREAS, the 99th Fighter Pursuit Squ adron, the first black 28
54	54		flying squadron, trained at Dale Mabry Field near Tallahassee to 29
55	55		prepare for combat overseas, and the Eglin Field ranges in 30
56	56		Okaloosa County were used by the first class of advanced 31
57	57		training cadets, as well as pilots in the advanced t raining 32
58	58		stage, for gunnery and combat tactics, and 33
59	59		WHEREAS, the outstanding performance of the Tuskegee Airmen 34
60	60		was unprecedented in military aviation history, and 35
61	61		WHEREAS, the month of March is significant to the Tuskegee 36
62	62		Airmen, as it is the month in wh ich the first cadets received 37
63	63		their wings; the first maintenance crew began training at 38
64	64		Chanute Field, Illinois; the first Pursuit Squadron, the 99th, 39
65	65		was activated; Eleanor Roosevelt visited Kennedy Field and flew 40
66	66		with Chief Alfred Anderson, an African Am erican Instructor 41
67	67		Pilot; and President George W. Bush presented the Tuskegee 42
68	68		Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal, and 43
69	69		WHEREAS, General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., born in 44
70	70		Pensacola, became the first African American to achieve the rank 45
71	71		of four-star general in the Armed Forces; Second Lieutenant 46
72	72		Charles P. Bailey, Sr., born in Punta Gorda, was the first 47
73	73		aviator from Florida to become a Tuskegee Airman pilot of the 48
74	74		99th Fighter Pursuit Squadron; and Lieutenant Alvin J. Downing, 49
75	75		born in Jacksonville, wa s a Special Service Officer and renowned 50
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88	88		musician and educator in the Army Air Forces Band and in the St. 51
89	89		Petersburg and Clearwater areas, and 52
90	90		WHEREAS, Second Lieutenant Alphonso Simmons of the 100th 53
91	91		Fighter Squadron from Jacksonville became a casualty of war on 54
92	92		March 3, 1945; and the first Tuskegee Airman aviator from 55
93	93		Florida to earn his wings and the first Floridian Tuskegee 56
94	94		Airman of the 301st Fighter Squadron, First Lieutenant James 57
95	95		Polkinghorne, Jr., of Pensacola was a casualty lost on a combat 58
96	96		mission over Italy on May 5, 1944, and 59
97	97		WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel George E. Hardy, residing in 60
98	98		Sarasota County, is a famed "Red Tail" P -51 pilot of the 332nd 61
99	99		Fighter Group; Lieutenant Daniel K. Keel, Jr., residing in Lake 62
100	100		County, is one of only five triple -rated airmen, serving as 63
101	101		pilot, bombardier, and navigator; and Callie Odom Gentry, 64
102	102		residing in Pasco County, is a female Tuskegee Airman who was a 65
103	103		stenographer during the war, and 66
104	104		WHEREAS, Tuskegee Airman Chief Master Sergeant Richard R. 67
105	105		Hall, Jr., formerly of Winter Park, was an aircraft mechanic in 68
106	106		the 99th Fighter Pursuit Squadron, served 30 years in the 69
107	107		military, and was one of the first African American Chief Master 70
108	108		Sergeants; Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Hughes, formerly of 71
109	109		Brevard County, was a Caucasi an flight instructor; and 72
110	110		Lieutenant Raymond Cassagnol, formerly of Seminole County, was 73
111	111		one of five Haitian-born pilots, NOW, THEREFORE, 74
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121	121		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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125	125		Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 76
126	126		77
127	127		Section 1. Paragraphs (h) through (u) of subsection (1) of 78
128	128		section 683.01, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as paragraphs 79
129	129		(i) through (v), respectively, and new paragraph (h) is added to 80
130	130		that subsection, to read: 81
131	131		683.01 Legal holidays. — 82
132	132		(1) The legal holidays, which are also public holidays, 83
133	133		are the following: 84
134	134		(h) Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day, the fourth Thursday 85
135	135		in March. 86
136	136		Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 87