Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a social media restriction bill, and lawmakers in Washington tackle microplastics.

Gov. DeSantis vetoes social media restrictions bill

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the social media restrictions bill, House Bill 1, on Friday.

In a statement on X, DeSantis said that he expected the Florida Legislature to approve a new bill that he feels would be superior.

"Protecting children from harms associated with social media is important, as is supporting parents’ rights and maintaining the ability of adults to engage in anonymous speech," DeSantis said.

After days of backdoor negotiations, lawmakers are set to reveal the new and improved social media bill to replace the recently vetoed HB 1. The legislative session is scheduled to end March 8.

The original bill would have prevented anyone under 16 from using social media, but DeSantis was a skeptic of the plan.

Members of the House, the Senate and the governor’s office all made compromises to get to this point.

“We’re happy. We believe we started out with a very good bill, and this bill is even better,” Florida House Speaker Paul Renner said.

The bill still bans those 15 and younger from social media. However, it now allows parents to opt in, a point that was a major concern for DeSantis.

“Parents need to have a role in this, so we’re working to make sure there’s a role for parents," DeSantis said. "You can say it’s disfavored or not allowed for a 14-, 15-year-old, but a parent has the right to opt in."

Still, there are constitutional concerns. Social media bans have failed in other states, but Florida leaders said they believe this one is different.

“I think ya’ll know me," Rep. Michele Rayner said. "You know I’m a lawyer. You know that I’m not putting my name on something that I feel would not survive any constitutional scrutiny, and I think the product we’re going to end up with actually does that."

In his veto letter, the governor made two main points:

• He believed parents deserve the right to allow their children to use social media.
• He had concerns about data privacy and the process of verifying a user’s age.

Judge to set court date in Trump records trial

A federal judge in Florida heard arguments on when to hold former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges of mishandling classified documents.

The decision, which is expected soon, could have enormous consequences for the case, and the presidential race.

Judge Aileen Cannon is deciding when to re-schedule Trump’s May 20 trial on charges of keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and hiding them from government investigators.

Special Counsel Jack Smith requested a July 8 start, but Trump’s legal team pushed for a later date as part of a delay strategy his lawyers have employed in the four criminal cases against him.

Some polling suggests that one or more guilty verdicts could damage Trump with voters. Delaying the trials puts off such a possibility. And if Trump wins the Republican nomination and defeats President Joe Biden, he could force the Justice Department to drop its two cases against him altogether.

Trump has so far used the 91 total felony charges against him as a rallying cry for supporters.

Lawmakers consider limiting microplastics

Science and sustainability experts are sounding the alarm on micro and nano plastics found in drinking water, urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to take action to limit their prevalence.

A Senate Environment and Public Works Joint Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday comes after a recent study by Rutgers and Columbia University researchers found 240,000 pieces of microplastic in an average liter of bottled water.

“Those invisible plastics are why we’re here today. Like people shed skin cells, plastics shed particles of plastics. These can be big micro plastics, which range from half a centimeter down to a micrometer, a micrometer being less than 170th the size of human hair, or they can be as small as nanoplastics, which are even smaller than a micrometer,” Sen. Jeff Merkley said. 

Experts warn the tiny plastics may have harmful health effects.

“There are about 13,000 different chemicals used during the manufacture of various plastic products," said Penn State Behrend Director of Sustainability, Dr. Sherri Mason. "Many of these are known to be carcinogens or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which means that they mimic hormones and the chemical messengers of the body by affecting the endocrine system,.” 

Experts also say the tiny particles are pervasive, and many come from an unexpected source, the clothes we wear.

“Potential solutions include requiring microfiber filters on washing machines, as has been bill has been introduced in Oregon and in California as well,"  Oregon State University Professor Susanne Brander said. "Also, catches for rain gardens can significantly reduce plastic pollution from stormwater runoff.”

The last major federal initiative against micro plastics was in 2015, when then-President Barack Obama signed a ban on microbead plastics in personal care and cosmetic products.

This October, Democrats introduced legislation called the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act to encourage corporations to shift away from plastic use.

But, in a divided Congress with Democrats controlling the Senate, and Republicans controlling the House, it’s not likely to get through.

Republicans on the committee thanked the witnesses for their research, but cautioned about placing regulatory burdens.

“As we’re moving forward looking at microplastics, we have to be careful that we’re not getting ahead of, as we would say, the science and do an undue burden or burdens," Sen. Markwayne Mullin said. 

Senate Democrats have also sponsored legislation to research the effects of microplastics in farming.