Tallahassee – The Florida Competitive Workforce Act – Representative Holly Raschein (R- Key Largo) and Democratic Whip Senator Joseph Abruzzo (D- Boynton Beach) – has been filed in the Florida House and Senate. The bill aims to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) in employment, housing and public accommodations.
This is Raschien’s second year co-sponsoring the bill, which has been introduced in some form since 2007 but has died in committee each time. Last year, Raschein co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Joe Saunders (D-Orlando) in the House and Sen. Joe Abruzzo (D-Wellington) introduced it in the Senate. Despite support from nearly a dozen of Florida’s top employers including Walt Disney World, Darden, Wells Fargo and Florida Blue, the bill didn’t make it before the Florida House. It was approved by the Senate.
This year, Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce has hired a group of bipartisan political campaigners to lead the initiative. Nineteen major Florida employers have joined since the coalition’s inception in March.
