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Senator Linda Stewart

Senator Stewart pushes stronger action as Orange County considers gun control

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As Orange County officials ready to discuss new measures aimed at curbing the gun violence epidemic, state Senator Linda Stewart on Monday urged the mayor and commissioners to first take stronger action closing a loophole allowing many questionable gun buyers to remain under the radar.

“I applaud the county for doing something, but we need strong, specific, and direct action that has been ignored so far,” said Senator Stewart. The Orlando Democrat was referring to a memo sent last month from Orange County Mayor Theresa Jacobs to County Commissioners that outlined gun control proposals, but omitted closing gun show loopholes and adding longer waiting periods.

Senator Stewart and other long-time leaders in the movement for gun safety have long called for such proactive safety measures to be enacted.

In a letter to the mayor, Senator Stewart urged county officials to include closing the gun show loophole, which continues to allow buyers to purchase firearms from private sellers without undergoing any background checks, and to lengthen waiting periods to 5-days.

“Especially in our community, failure to do everything we can to prevent senseless and unnecessary gun violence like the tragedy at Pulse nightclub and recently at Parkland school is absolutely unacceptable,” said Stewart, who has been a fierce gun control advocate following the Pulse massacre. Since her election to the Florida Senate in 2016, Senator Stewart has filed bills and amendments to ban assault weapons, ban bump-fire stocks, and additional measures to curb gun violence and honor the victims of Pulse. She plans to file legislation to address an operational statewide database, which she hopes will be eventually picked up as universal database for our country.

Senator Stewart to Join D.C. March for Gun Safety Reform

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Inspired by the historic movement of high school walkouts nationwide calling for gun safety measures, Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) will be traveling with her teenage granddaughter to Washington, D.C. to participate in the March For Our Lives demonstration taking place on Saturday, March 24, 2018.

“I will be joining our youth as they lead the way to march for common-sense gun safety legislation,” said Senator Stewart, whose district witnessed a 29-year old’s assault weapon siege on Pulse. “Enacting laws that ensure our communities are safe from gun violence has been a goal of mine for both years I’ve been in the Senate, having sponsored a bill to ban assault rifles and high capacity magazines, as well as a bill to ban bump stocks.”

Senator Stewart will be available for interview during her time in Washington, D.C. and is scheduled to return to Central Florida on Sunday, March 25, 2018.

An amendment offered by Senator Stewart onto a bill tightening gun laws would have banned assault weapons and large capacity magazines, but failed to pass in the Senate by a narrow vote of 17-20 after having earned bipartisan support. The same amendment failed in committee once by a vote of 6-7 and again by 8-12.

Senate Panel Fails to Adopt Assault Weapons Ban, Senator Stewart Vows to Persist

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Honoring a pledge she made immediately following the 2016 massacre at Pulse Nightclub, State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) on Wednesday reissued her call on Senate lawmakers to adopt amendments banning assault weapons, high capacity magazines and bump-fire stocks, as well as strengthening school safety zones. So far, every one of these amendments has been rejected during the committee hearings as a proposal that arms teachers but falls short on gun reform measures sought by victims of the Parkland massacre heads to the full Senate for a vote.

“This bill has failed Floridians’ outcry for action,” said Senator Stewart, whose district witnessed a 29-year old’s assault weapon siege on Pulse. “I will continue to press for changes in our laws that will deliver substantial, meaningful change. Students and parents have asked their lawmakers to do one thing, to stop enabling the spread of weapons of war and the high-capacity magazines that make mass murders efficient. Instead, we have a bill that puts more guns in classrooms. It is my hope that we can, as Senators, as a chamber, as human beings charged with the life, liberty, and happiness of our fellow human beings, be the authors of action.”

SB 7026 establishes the Florida Sheriff’s Marshal Program to arm teachers and faculty—which is largely opposed by educators and Floridians—but fails to include common-sense measures such as an assault weapons ban that addresses the core of Florida’s epidemic of violence and that has overwhelming support by the public, according to most recent polls.

The Florida Senate convenes on Thursday, March 1, 2018 to take up SB 7026 for consideration. Senator Stewart has vowed to offer an amendment that bans assault weapons and high capacity magazines once again from the Senate floor.

Senator Linda Stewart Files Amendments Banning Assault Weapons and High Capacity Magazines

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State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) has filed two amendments to confront the urgent need for gun safety reform onto bills presently scheduled for a floor vote this morning. Both amendments ban the sale of civilian versions of military assault weapons and the high capacity magazines that make them so lethal. For the past two years, Senator Stewart has relentlessly pushed to enact gun violence prevention legislation. The amendments filed Tuesday afternoon ensure that the 17 souls lost in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre were not in vain, but instead are a call to action. Each amendment revises SB 1048 and HB 55, bills that were designed to promote the proliferation of firearms in Florida, including in schools.

“These bills quintessentially reflect how out-of-touch our state legislature has become,” said Senator Stewart. “My amendments are simple: Ban high-capacity magazines and weapons of mass murder. If you stand for life and family values, how can you sit idly as children are being slaughtered and lives are being forever shattered? How can we, as lawmakers charged with the safety and well-being of our state’s citizens, continue to do nothing?”

Senators will convene in the Senate Chamber at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. The amendments are intended to prevent weapons specifically designed to deliver high rates of lethal gunfire without the need to pause and reload from falling into the hands of people such as the shooter who carried out the MSD High School massacre. Students from MSD High School will be present in the gallery before they join the Rally Supporting Gun Safety Reforms.

Unanimous Vote Clears Daycare Vehicle Child Safety Alarms in Senate Committee

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Today by unanimous approval, State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) presented and passed the Child Safety Alarm Act through its first committee. The legislation comes after the tragic death of an Orlando three-year-old child last summer, Myles Hill, who was left unattended in a hot daycare van that reached temperatures of 144 degrees.

“This is a bipartisan effort to keep our children safe,” said Stewart. “We need to be doing everything we can to try to prevent our most precious cargo from being left in hot vans and I look forward to the same vote outcome at the Transportation Committee.”

Senate Bill 486 is designed to curtail the frequency of incidents in which children are left in hot daycare vehicles. The bill requires daycare centers that transport children to equip their vehicles with reliable safety alarm systems by 2019. These systems will alert drivers to inspect their vehicles for any children who may have been left behind.

The bill is expected to be taken up next for a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee, followed by the Rules Committee and a full floor vote.

A companion bill, House Bill 305, has been filed by Representative Bruce Antone (D-Orlando).

Senator Stewart Fires Up Crowd at Women’s Equal Pay Rally

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State Senator Linda Stewart (D–Orlando) on Tuesday addressed advocates of women’s economic equality who gathered at the Florida Capitol to speak out against the various barriers women encounter in the workplace. In an impassioned appeal to her colleagues in the legislature, Stewart urged for a hearing on Senate Bill 594, which she has introduced as a measure to prohibit wage discrimination practices based on sex.

“It is time Florida recognizes that equal pay is not just something to wish for, but something to stand for,” said Stewart. “If you truly value women, the work they do, the rights they have earned, and the respect they are owed, then hear and pass this bill.”

Senate Bill 594 is designed to prohibit an employer from various discrimination practices. This includes “providing less favorable opportunities to employees” and decisions based on their sex, unfair employment practices that relate to employee wages and benefits, and other actions indicative of labor and discrimination that occur in the workplace.

A companion bill, House Bill 393, has been introduced by Representative Lori Berman (D–Lantana).

Senator Stewart Fires Up Crowd at Women's Equal Pay Rally

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State Senator Linda Stewart (D–Orlando) on Tuesday addressed advocates of women’s economic equality who gathered at the Florida Capitol to speak out against the various barriers women encounter in the workplace. In an impassioned appeal to her colleagues in the legislature, Stewart urged for a hearing on Senate Bill 594, which she has introduced as a measure to prohibit wage discrimination practices based on sex.

“It is time Florida recognizes that equal pay is not just something to wish for, but something to stand for,” said Stewart. “If you truly value women, the work they do, the rights they have earned, and the respect they are owed, then hear and pass this bill.”
Senate Bill 594 is designed to prohibit an employer from various discrimination practices. This includes “providing less favorable opportunities to employees” and decisions based on their sex, unfair employment practices that relate to employee wages and benefits, and other actions indicative of labor and discrimination that occur in the workplace.
A companion bill, House Bill 393, has been introduced by Representative Lori Berman (D–Lantana).

Senator Stewart Rallies Support for Equal Pay for Equal Work

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State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) is a firm believer in equal pay for equal work, and understands first-hand the heavy economic toll it takes predominantly on women when they face discrimination in the paycheck.
Determined to change those numbers, Senator Stewart is sponsoring legislation that would level the playing field in the work place, as well as a resolution that codifies equality for women in the constitution.
On Tuesday, January 23rd, a rally will be held in support of the measures in the state Capitol. The event will begin at 12:00 PM on the Fourth Floor Rotunda in Front of the Senate Chamber. Those in the Orlando area are encouraged to board buses, cars, or carpool to attend the rally.
“There is a shift in culture that needs to be recognized and equality for all endorsed,” said Stewart.
Senate Bill 594 is designed to prohibit an employer from various discrimination practices. This includes “providing less favorable opportunities to employees” and decisions based on their sex, unfair employment practices that relate to employee wages and benefits, and other actions indicative of labor and discrimination that occur in the workplace.
A companion bill, House Bill 393, has been introduced by Representative Lori Berman (D-Lantana).

Senator Stewart files bill repealing plastic ban prohibition

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State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) today unveiled legislation that repeals the sweeping prohibition on state agencies and local governments from enacting regulations on plastic bags and other single-use plastic objects.
“As long as these prohibitions remain on the books, improperly discarded plastic materials will continue to impact Florida’s wildlife, marine life, landfill operation, and flood control systems because proactive regulations cannot be implemented,” said Senator Stewart. “We need each city and county to act as they see fit and allow home rule to be reestablished.”
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection produced a report in 2010 at the direction of the Legislature on the “efficacy and necessity” of regulating auxiliary containers, wrappings, or disposable plastic bags and highlighted various sets of policy options. In 2008, the Legislature found that it is crucial to the welfare of Florida’s ecology and economy to regulate these recyclable materials, but placed a prohibition on any regulations until such recommended policies were adopted.
Senate Bill 1014 has been filed for the upcoming 2018 legislative session. Representative David Richardson (D-Miami Beach) has sponsored a companion bill in the Florida House of Representatives.

Press conference with Sen. Stewart, Democratic Leader Cruz and Rep. Berman

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MEDIA ADVISORY

On Tuesday, October 24, Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando), Democratic Leader Janet Cruz (D-Tampa) and Representative Lori Berman (D-Lantana) will be holding a press conference and rally in support of their Equal Pay for Equal Work bill, SB 594/HB 393.
Nicknamed the “Helen Gordon Davis Fair Pay Protection Act” in honor of Helen Gordon Davis for her hard work in the field of equal pay, the bill hopes to strengthen state laws in this arena. In short, the bills seek to specify which factors employers can use to decide to pay employees differently, such as education, experience, or seniority, or merit. It would also prohibit employers from screening job applicants based on prior wages, bar employers from taking retaliatory action against an employee who discloses their wages to a coworker, prohibit employers from discrimination towards employees based on their sex, prohibit employers from using the wage or salary history of a prospective employee in determining a wage or as a condition to be interviewed, and create civil penalties for violations of these laws.

Who: Senator Linda Stewart, Democratic Leader Janet Cruz & Representative Lori Berman

What: Press Conference

When: Tuesday, October 24th, at 1:00pm

Where: Outside the House Chamber
4th Floor Rotunda
The Capitol