# Florida SB 1296: Public Employees Relations Commission

Florida SB 1296, Public Employees Relations Commission, is a 2026 Senate bill sponsored by Jonathan Martin (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-05-05 (Chapter No. 2026-58); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-SB1296-2026
- As of: 2026-10-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Florida SB 1296
- State: Florida
- Session: 2026
- Title: Public Employees Relations Commission
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-07
- Last action: 2026-05-05, Chapter No. 2026-58
- Sponsor: Jonathan Martin (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: Appropriation, Governmental Oversight and Accountability, Fiscal Policy, House Calendar
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 5 (130 yes, 75 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 17

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Public workers control union membership: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, the law protects public workers from employer discrimination for joining, supporting, or refusing a union. Membership forms must list dues and name the five highest-paid reported officers or employees, with their payment amounts. Outside public safety units, workers can canc…
- Mail voting access for public workers: benefit, low. Certification and recertification elections can use mail, on-site voting, or both. If any party requests mail voting, the commission must use it. Notice must come at least four weeks before the election, which cannot occur sooner than four weeks after ballots are postmarked. Mail ballots for certif…
- Public workers gain bargaining participation rights: benefit, low. Labor agreements require employer ratification and approval by a majority of voting unit employees, including nonmembers. The commission sets voting procedures. Employers commit unfair labor practices by refusing bargaining, good-faith talks, final-agreement signing, or good-faith grievance discuss…
- Students gain access to labor talks: benefit, low. A community college or university student government can select a representative to attend employer-bargaining agent negotiating sessions. The student must be enrolled at that school for at least 8 credit hours during the term. Access is no longer limited to talks involving an exclusive bargaining…
- Workers gain union election safeguards: benefit, low. Signed statements supporting representation petitions are confidential and exempt from public-records disclosure. Employees, employers, and unions can check and challenge support statements, including for decertification, with sufficient reason to suspect invalidity or misconduct. Grounds include c…
- Transit employers can protect federal funding: benefit, low. A transit employer can petition for a waiver after federal officials find its employee protections fail federal transit-funding requirements. The commission can waive Florida public labor rules only as needed to meet those requirements and preserve funding eligibility. The law does not provide a ne…
- Limits on paid public union work: cost, medium. Public employers generally cannot provide pay or paid leave for union activities; public safety units are excluded. Employers and bargaining agents can agree to unpaid time off or on-duty representation. Workers can freely use personal leave that accrues equally for similarly situated unit employee…
- Higher voting hurdles for public unions: cost, medium. For non-public-safety petitions filed on or after July 1, 2026, certification or recertification requires at least 50% turnout. At least 50% of voters must choose the organization. With multiple organizations, a runoff is required when turnout reaches 50% but no choice receives 50% of votes. For de…
- Budget disputes face tight bargaining deadlines: cost, low. When financial urgency requires agreement changes, talks must start promptly and last no more than 14 calendar days before written impasse. A separate rule covers local-government appropriations legally restricted to salaries and related costs when agreement changes are needed. Parties must meet wi…
- Public labor disputes face tighter procedures: cost, low. Employers, employees, and unions can file unfair labor charges only when their substantial interests are affected. Filings must include sworn statements and documents supporting an initial case of a violation. Grievances involving alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults must aw…
- Higher penalties for unlawful public strikes: cost, low. Strike-injunction contempt fines rise from $5,000 to $30,000 maximum for unions, and from $50–$100 to $300–$600 daily for officers, agents, or representatives. Commission strike fines rise from $20,000 to $40,000 per calendar day, or the approximate daily public cost even above $40,000. Collected c…
- Public unions face recurring approval rules: mixed, medium. Unions must register before seeking certification, recertification, or unit clarification; unregistered groups cannot join related hearings or elections. Registration lasts one year, and registration or renewal fees cannot exceed $15. Agents must seek recertification within 30 days after the commis…
- Longer waits for drug-policy appeal hearings: mixed, low. Covered Drug-Free Workplace Act appeals must receive a hearing within 60 days after filing, up from 30 days. This covers executive-branch employee discipline and applicants appealing a refusal to hire. The commission or an arbitrator can grant more time at the employee’s or applicant’s request.
- Public workers face new dues rules: mixed, low. Public employers generally cannot deduct union dues from pay, except through an authorized exception or commission waiver. Any permitted deduction must go to an organization certified as a bargaining agent. The law removes the requirement that it exclusively represent a unit containing that employe…
- New filing rules for union elections: mixed, low. Certification, recertification, and decertification petitions need signed, dated interest statements from at least 30% of the unit. A registered rival organization needs 10% to seek a ballot spot; all these statements must be no more than 12 months old. An incumbent agent joins automatically withou…
- New limits on changing bargaining units: mixed, low. Employers or bargaining agents can ask the commission to clarify units after significant legal changes or specified job-classification changes. These include new or substantially changed jobs, retitled jobs, and mistaken inclusion or exclusion. The commission must dismiss a petition that increases…
- Union financial disclosures change for workers: mixed, low. Renewal filings require an independent accountant’s financial statement, signed by principal officers, covering dues distributions and employer reimbursements. Reports must disclose officer or employee payments totaling over $10,000 across related organizations, and officer or member loans over $25…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jonathan Martin (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Fiscal Policy
- Cosponsor: Governmental Oversight and Accountability

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-11 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 73 | 37 |   |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 20 | 14 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 21 | 13 |   |
| 2026-03-02 | Senate | Fiscal Policy Vote | pass | 10 | 8 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | Senate | Governmental Oversight and Accountability Vote | pass | 6 | 3 |   |

## Actions (34)

- 2026-05-05: Chapter No. 2026-58
- 2026-05-01: Approved by Governor
- 2026-04-30: Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- 2026-03-17: Ordered enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: CS passed; YEAS 73, NAYS 37 (House)
- 2026-03-11: Read 3rd time (House)
- 2026-03-11: Added to Third Reading Calendar (House)
- 2026-03-11: Read 2nd time (House)
- 2026-03-10: 1st Reading (Engrossed 1) (House)
- 2026-03-10: Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/11/2026) (House)
- 2026-03-10: Bill referred to House Calendar (House)
- 2026-03-06: In Messages (House)
- 2026-03-06: CS passed as amended; YEAS 20 NAYS 14 -SJ 683 (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Read 3rd time -SJ 683 (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Placed on 3rd reading -SJ 619 (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Amendment(s) adopted (151210, 553092, 851520) -SJ 616 (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Read 2nd time -SJ 616 (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/05/26 (Senate)
- 2026-03-04: Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: CS/CS by Fiscal Policy read 1st time (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute) (Senate)
- 2026-03-02: CS/CS by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 10 NAYS 8 (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 03/02/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: CS by Governmental Oversight and Accountability read 1st time (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Now in Fiscal Policy (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Remaining references corrected to Fiscal Policy (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Original reference(s) removed: Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute) (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: CS by Governmental Oversight and Accountability; YEAS 6 NAYS 3 (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: On Committee agenda-- Governmental Oversight and Accountability, 02/11/26, 3:00 pm, 110 Senate Building (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: On Committee agenda-- Governmental Oversight and Accountability, 02/02/26, 3:30 pm, 110 Senate Building --Temporarily Postponed (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Introduced (Senate)
- 2026-01-12: Referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Fiscal Policy (Senate)
- 2026-01-07: Filed (Senate)

## Bill text

- er, 2026-07-01: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/er/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/er/PDF)
- e1, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/e1/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/e1/PDF)
- c2, 2026-03-03: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c2/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c2/PDF)
- c1, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c1/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c1/PDF)
- Filed, 2026-01-07: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/Filed/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/Filed/PDF)

## Related bills

- SB 688: Naturopathic Medicine (vetoed)
- HB 145: Claims Against the Government (vetoed)
- HB 325: Education and Workforce Development for Inmates (vetoed)
- SB 14: Relief of Jose Correa by Miami-Dade County (signed)
- HB 6515: Relief/Lourdes Latour and Edward Latour/Miami-Dade County (signed)
- HB 6507: Relief/L.E./Department of Children and Families (signed)

## Sources
- [er (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/er/HTML)
- [er (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/er/PDF)
- [e1 (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/e1/HTML)
- [e1 (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/e1/PDF)
- [c2 (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c2/HTML)
- [c2 (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c2/PDF)
- [c1 (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c1/HTML)
- [c1 (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/c1/PDF)
- [Filed (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/Filed/HTML)
- [Filed (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1296/BillText/Filed/PDF)

## Related
- [SB 688: Naturopathic Medicine](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-SB688-2026)
- [HB 145: Claims Against the Government](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB145-2026)
- [HB 325: Education and Workforce Development for Inmates](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB325-2026)
- [SB 14: Relief of Jose Correa by Miami-Dade County](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-SB14-2026)
- [HB 6515: Relief/Lourdes Latour and Edward Latour/Miami-Dade County](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB6515-2026)
- [HB 6507: Relief/L.E./Department of Children and Families](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB6507-2026)
- [Florida bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/florida/bills)
- [Florida state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/florida)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-SB1296-2026 (as of 2026-10-15).