Sweeping anti-DEI education bill requiring fetal development lessons heading to House floor
Florida Politics | By Jesse Scheckner | February 10, 2026
House lawmakers could soon vote to pass a broad K-12 education bill that, among other things, would mandate new fetal development lessons, tighten school security rules, strengthen math and attendance provisions and further ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) spending.
The bill (HB 1071) just surmounted its final pre-floor hurdle, clearing the House Education and Employment Committee on a party-line, 15-4 vote.
As was the case in its prior committee stops, there was impassioned testimony from both sides of the dais. Supporters highlighted the measure’s safety, accountability and parental-involvement provisions, while arguing that the DEI-focused portions would reduce discrimination rather than allow for it.
Critics, who outnumbered their public speaker counterparts roughly fourfold Tuesday, took exception with the bill’s human development portion and lack of DEI-related specificity, arguing a lack of definitions could increase the targeting of minority and LGBTQ students.
The bill’s sponsor, Fort Pierce Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy, tried to allay those concerns in her closing remarks. She stressed that the bill’s embryology provisions require medically accurate information and materials. The DEI parts, she said, would only block state and federal funds from organizations that discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability or religion.
“By taking this out, we are eliminating discrimination based on these factors,” she said. “We are not going to use state dollars to advocate for discrimination or political activism.”
HB 1071 would restrict education spending and tighten oversight in schools while adding new instructional, safety and accountability requirements.
Beyond blocking funds for programs that advocate for DEI — as defined by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) — and political or social activism, the bill would require health classes to include detailed, video-based lessons on human embryo and fetal development. Those lessons would have to feature a one-minute ultrasound showing fetal organ growth and a computer-generated video explaining conception and stages of human development, though parents could opt their children out.
Trabulsy has promised that she will work to ensure that Florida doesn’t use the existing “Baby Olivia” video, which the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists has derided as anti-abortion misinformation.
The measure would also mandate locked, monitored school access points during the day and require school resource officers to be notified and given records access when students with serious behavioral histories enroll.
To address truancy, the bill would let School Districts intervene earlier when students rack up unexcused or unexplained absences.
HB 1071 would also require Districts and charter schools to adopt evidence-based math improvement plans that could include tutoring, added instruction time and math coaches. And it would expand the state’s ability to suspend or remove charter schools, private schools and pre-K providers for rule violations, with disqualifications lasting up to five years.
Members of the committee approved four amendments to the bill Tuesday to require School Districts to publicly notify communities about available virtual education options, require Districts to post K-5 chronic absenteeism rates by grade online, allow the FDOE to ban and penalize noncompliant school material publishers and clarify flexibility for charter schools in satisfying school safety officer requirements.
Rep. Yvonne Hinson, a Gainesville Democrat, filed several amendments to HB 1071 that would have more clearly stated how student organizations with DEI inclinations could access state and federal funds.
Trabulsy described Hinson’s amendments as “unfriendly,” and the panel’s GOP members summarily rejected them.
Representatives from several organizations signaled support, including the Foundation for Florida’s Future, Christian Family Coalition, Citizens Defending Freedom, Brevard Federation of Teachers, Florida Citizens Alliance, Florida Voice for the Unborn, Florida Family Voice and Charter Schools USA.
Several organizations and individuals waived or spoke against it, such as the Florida AFL-CIO, Democratic Women’s Club of Florida, Common Cause Florida, PEN America, Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches, Florida NOW, Equality Florida, Florida Student Power, Voices of Florida, Fatherhood Task Force of South Florida, Planned Parenthood Florida Action and numerous students, teachers and School District employees.
Public speakers were given just 30 seconds to talk, resulting in many barely getting into their arguments before being dismissed.
In debate, Hinson said that the beneficial aspects of HB 1071 actually exceed the parts she views as problematic, which made voting against the bill all the more consternating.
“I’m so sad that I have to take a vote against reading and math and chronic absenteeism and all the good things that are in this bill,” she said.
Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Kimberly Danielssaid that while she supports much of the bill, including the required lessons on fetal development, she has seen the negative impacts of prior DEI-targeting legislation, including a reduction in race-based scholarships available to Florida students, and would be voting against it Tuesday.
Orlando Democratic Rep. Rita Harris agreed the bill has a lot of good in it, particularly the math portions, since students aren’t performing optimally. But she also flagged the DEI’s vague language as troublesome.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion means something different to so many people,” she said. “When you start having a very subjective terminology become part of a statute, it leaves a lot to interpretation.”
Rep. Alex Rizo, a Hialeah Republican and former biology teacher, said he had personally seen students awed by lessons on human development in the womb. He also pushed back against arguments that HB 1071’s DEI strictures target certain people.
“Nothing in this bill says we are doing away with anyone or we will ignore anyone. If anything, it doubles down (on the idea that) everyone is equal,” he said, adding that the U.S. Constitution and Florida Constitution protect people against discrimination.
HB 1071 now pends scheduling for a House floor vote. Its Senate counterpart (SB 1090) by Fort Pierce Republican Erin Grall still awaits a hearing before the first of three committees to which it was referred.
