DeSantis signs bill that would fine schools, businesses for requiring masks, COVID

Francine Frazier, Senior web producer

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

Standing behind a podium with a sign that read "Prescribe Freedom," Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke Thursday morning about his administration's efforts during the pandemic, then he signed four health care-related bills from the recent legislative session.

Among the bills that DeSantis signed was one sponsored by Panama City Republican Rep. Griff Griffitts that prohibits businesses and government agencies from requiring people to take COVID-19 tests, provide proof of vaccination status or wear masks to enter their facilities.

Businesses and agencies are also now prohibited from firing or refusing to hire people based on "postinfection recovery status or the person's failure to take a COVID-19 test," and could face fines up to $5,000 for each violation of the measure.

The measure also imposes similar prohibitions on educational institutions, including provisions that would bar institutions from requiring COVID-19 tests or imposing mask requirements. Under the bill, educational institutions also could face $5,000 fines for violations.

A release from the governor's office said the bill also:

Griffitts argued during the legislative session that the measure is designed to fight discrimination.

"We’ve known that things have changed dramatically over the last two years, and we have to take that into account. All this is doing is taking the discriminatory practices off what we’ve learned over the last two years, which people were either being discriminated (against) for jobs, education or employment opportunities based on discrimination from COVID-19," Griffitts said.

The measure also adds requirements for health care practitioners to "obtain the informed consent" of a patient or their legal representative before prescribing any medications to treat coronavirus. Under the bill, informed consent includes an "explanation of alternative medications" for treating COVID-19 and the "relative advantages, disadvantages, and risks" associated with those drugs.

DeSantis, who was joined at the news conference and bill signing by state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, also signed what he called a "companion bill" to protect the privacy of those who file grievances if they believe their rights were violated concerning the discrimination bill. It creates a public records exemption for certain information relating to such complaints or the investigations they might spark.

"That is stronger than anyone in the country has done by a country mile and we’re proud of that," DeSantis said.

Another health care bill DeSantis signed Thursday was the "protections of medical conscience" bill, which he said ensures freedom of speech for physicians.

Among other things, the bill allows health care providers and health care payors to opt out of participation in or payment for certain health care services on the basis of conscience-based objections. It also prohibits boards, or the Department of Health if there is no board, from taking disciplinary action against or denying a license to an individual based solely on specified conduct.

DeSantis also signed an overhaul of a myriad of Department of Health rules -- including one that prohibits certain research relating to enhanced potential pandemic pathogens or "gain of function" research.

"We are the first state in the United States to ban, formally, ‘gain of function’ research," DeSantis said.

"Gain of function" research involves studies that improve the ability of a pathogen to cause disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

"Gain-of-function studies may entail biosafety and biosecurity risks," the Department says on its website.

Typically, the governor will take questions at bill-signing events after he signs, but he did not return to the podium on Thursday.

DeSantis has been making the rounds around the state signing bills.

On Wednesday, he signed an immigration-related bill in Jacksonville that was sponsored by Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville.

After Thursday's news conference, the governor's office sent a release saying DeSantis had signed 37 bills on Thursday. Here's the full list: