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Capital Report: February 21, 2024

A House committee on Wednesday approved a controversial measure that would allow parents to file civil lawsuits seeking damages for the wrongful death of an “unborn child,” with critics of the bill saying it is too broad and could shrink the number of doctors who deliver babies in Florida.

An effort to make it easier to sue journalists and bloggers for defamation is now heading to the House floor. The bill is a multi-year effort aimed at setting up a challenge to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York Times versus Sullivan—a key precedent that undergirds First Amendment freedom of speech and freedom of the press rights. Lynn Hatter has more.

The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted to approve a bill that would lower the minimum age to buy rifles and other types of long guns from 21 to 18. The bill would reverse part of the law that increased the minimum age to 21 after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

A controversial proposal to bring back primary election runoffs has been temporarily postponed just days after being filed. Tristan Wood reports this comes after the bill was blasted by the right wing of the Florida Republican Party.

Florida A&M University officials are pushing their funding priorities for the new school year. The University’s President says he hopes Florida lawmakers to set more money aside for the school, so FAMU can remain at the top of its class. Adrian Andrews has more.