TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers passed three bills Friday that are priorities for Republican lawmakers, but also controversial.

Six hours of debate time was allocated to the most contentious bill, HB 1, which is a top priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis and would create new penalties for demonstrators accused of inciting violent protests. The bill passed Friday in the Florida House, 76 to 39, along party lines.

The so-called "combating public disorder" legislation took shape in the months following the Black Lives Matter protests that swept the nation in the wake of George Floyd's death while in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer. Democrats are deriding the measure as an unconstitutional attempt to silence political dissent, a characterization the bill's Republican sponsor sought to discredit Thursday.

"First, the individual has to have been committing the riot," Rep. Juan Fernandez -Barquin (R-Miami) said. "And then, on top of the riot is one of the factors for aggravated riot that would qualify him as an aggravated rioter. So, it's simply not just someone standing around in a protest. It's, this is an actual violent melee."

The bill heads to the Florida Senate, where it has an uncertain fate.

The House also approved HB 259, 76 to 37, which would enable concealed weapon permit holders to carry guns in churches, temples and other religious institutions. Dubbed "church carry," it's a priority for the state's top gun lobbyist, Marion Hammer. On Monday, Hammer e-mailed gun rights supporters to enlist their help in pressing representatives to pass the bill.

"Church goers, who are licensed by the state to carry firearms for self-defense, are currently being deprived of the same rights they have when they go shopping, go into a business, or onto any other private property. This bill fixes that," Hammer wrote in her message.

The legislation's critics contend that allowing guns in religious institutions would enable bad actors to more easily attack congregants, pointing to the 2015 massacre at a Charleston church as a tragedy that could repeat itself.

The Florida Legislature also passed HB 72, a broad COVID-19 legal immunity package that would shield businesses from negligence lawsuits brought by employees and customers. To be eligible for immunity, companies would have to prove they followed government guidance on preventing the spread of the virus. Immunity for health care facilities, including nursing homes, is included in the legislation, though the evidentiary bar to file a suit is far lower.

The bill is expected to head to DeSantis's desk in short order. The governor has pledged to sign it into law.