SB 1296 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Public Employees Relations Commission

Summary

Public Employees Relations Commission; Authorizing subpoenas to be served by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by personal service; revising application requirements for employee organization registration and renewal of registration; specifying the criteria by which the commission determines the method and timing of elections; providing that a petition to clarify the composition of a bargaining unit may be filed with the commission under certain circumstances; providing that implementation of appropriations from the Legislature which are specifically directed to be disbursed as salaries for employees of local governments are considered a financial urgency; authorizing certain public employers, public employees, and employee organizations, or combinations thereof, to file certain charges with the commission, etc.

Issues: ✗ Labor & Employment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed May 1, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

S 1296 c2 → S 1296 e1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The Engrossed 1 version makes several significant changes from Committee Substitute 2: it lowers election participation and approval thresholds from 25%/60% to 50%/50% for both certification and decertification elections, adds detailed provisions for mail-based elections with specific timing requirements, removes the right of individual bargaining unit members to inspect employee organization accounts, and expands Section 447.509 to include a new exception allowing employers to provide compensated leave for union activities if reimbursed by the union.

REQUIREMENT

Election thresholds for certification and decertification were lowered: participation requirement changed from 25% of bargaining unit members to 50%, and approval requirement changed from 60% of those voting to 50% (a simple majority). This makes it both harder to meet the participation floor but easier to win once enough people vote.

New provisions require the commission to conduct elections by mail if either party requests it, with a minimum 4-week window between ballot mailing and election date, and 4-week advance notice to all parties. The commission must consider factors like number of voters, work locations, cost, schedules, and party agreement when choosing the election method.

FISCAL

Elections conducted by mail ballot must include return envelopes with prepaid postage affixed, subject to appropriation. This applies to both certification and decertification elections.

ELIGIBILITY

The right to inspect employee organization financial accounts was narrowed: individual public employees in a bargaining unit can no longer inspect accounts; only members of the organization or the commission may do so.

SCOPE

Section 447.509 was expanded with a new exception (subsection 5) allowing a public employer to provide compensation and benefits for union activities if agreed to in the collective bargaining agreement and fully reimbursed by the employee organization. A new subsection (7) gives circuit courts jurisdiction to enforce the section by injunction and contempt.

The automatic ballot inclusion provision for existing certified bargaining agents was broadened: it now applies whenever employees in the proposed unit are included in any bargaining unit with a currently certified agent, rather than only when they are represented by a different organization than the petitioner.

S 1296 Filed → S 1296 c1 · 10 edits

MAJOR

The committee substitute narrowed the financial urgency provision to cover only local government salary appropriations rather than all legislative salary increases, reduced the maximum daily strike fine from $120,000 to $40,000, added a new prohibition on employer involvement in collecting union fines and penalties, and made several technical clarifications including changing the audit standard for employee organization financial reporting and broadening which commission decisions qualify as final agency actions.

SCOPE

The financial urgency provision (s. 447.4095(2)) was narrowed from covering all salary increases appropriated by the Legislature to only those appropriations specifically directed in law to be disbursed as salaries to employees of local governments, and added a requirement that the funding be restricted to salaries and associated costs before it triggers the financial urgency process.

ENFORCEMENT

The maximum daily fine for an employee organization violating the strike prohibition was reduced from $120,000 per day to $40,000 per day (s. 447.507(6)(a)4).

The scope of final agency actions under s. 447.305(13) was broadened from covering only specific decisions (revoking certification, revoking registration, or granting/denying/dismissing applications) to covering all decisions issued by the commission under that section.

REQUIREMENT

A new subsection (3) was added to s. 447.303 expressly prohibiting public employers from any involvement in the collection of fines, penalties, or special assessments related to employee organizations.

The financial reporting requirement for employee organization registration renewals (s. 447.305(3)(e)) was changed from a general 'verification' by an independent CPA to an 'agreed-upon procedures report' that must be conducted in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

DEFINITION

A new provision was added to s. 447.301(1)(b)5 stating that a membership authorization form is valid if it meets the legal requirements at the time it was signed by the employee and the employee's membership has not been subsequently revoked.

ELIGIBILITY

The right to pay dues directly (s. 447.303(1)) was expanded so that a public employee may pay membership dues and uniform assessments directly to the employee organization, any parent organization, or any affiliate of either, rather than only to the certified bargaining agent itself.

The equal access requirement for public employer facilities and communication systems (s. 447.501(1)(g)) was narrowed to apply only to 'registered' employee organizations rather than any employee organization.

The use of compensated personal leave for employee organization activities (s. 447.509(4)(b)) no longer requires agreement between the public employer and the bargaining agent, while time off without pay (subparagraph a) and representational activities in duty status (subparagraph c) still require such agreement.

TECHNICAL

The method for transmitting a special magistrate's recommended decision (s. 447.403(3)) was changed from 'any method of service that establishes proof of delivery' to 'any method of service agreed to by the parties which establishes proof of delivery,' requiring mutual agreement on the delivery method.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 5, 2026 · House Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

21–14

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 40

Mar 5, 2026

D Democratic11

9 Nay 2

81% Nay

I Independent1

1 Nay

100% Nay

R Republican28

21 Yea 4 Nay 3

75% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 1, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

legislature

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

CS passed; YEAS 73, NAYS 37

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Committee

Bill referred to House Calendar

lower

Mar 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

CS passed as amended; YEAS 20 NAYS 14

upper

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Amendment(s) adopted (151210, 553092, 851520)

upper

Mar 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Feb 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 03/02/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

Original reference(s) removed: Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Feb 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Governmental Oversight and Accountability, 02/11/26, 3:00 pm, 110 Senate Building

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Governmental Oversight and Accountability, 02/02/26, 3:30 pm, 110 Senate Building --Temporarily Postponed

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Fiscal Policy

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors