Florida Legislative History

In Florida, one of the most important pieces of legislative history is the staff analysis (sometimes called the bill analysis). These documents are prepared by the staff of each committee that the bill is assigned to. They summarize the bill, explain the current law and how it will be affected by the bill, the fiscal impact of the bill, any constitutional issues raised, and summarizes any committee amendments. 

This analysis has been required since 1971. However, from 1971-1998 they are often hard to find online. However, starting in 1998, all staff analysis have been posted online on the bill summary pages of the House and Senate pages. 

Staff Analysis 1998-Present

One the Florida Senate or House Bill search pages, use the Bill Number to locate the bill summary page. The bill analysis will be located under the Analyses or Staff Analysis tabs 

Historical Staff Analysis- 1988-1998

The Legal Information Center houses staff analysis from 1988-1999 on microfiche. 

Historical Staff Analysis- Prior to 1988

Staff Analysis from prior to 1988 can be hard to locate. The FSU Research center has a collection of selected digitized materials from 1971-1998 listed below. 

For analysis prior to 1988 that is not in the digitized collection, please contact the Florida State Archives.

When the Governor signs a bill into law (or vetos the bill) they often makes a public statements about the law. While this is not created by the legislature is can often provide good insight into the policy or political climate surrounding a bill.