(LifeSiteNews) — The Florida state Senate unanimously passed a huge budget bill today that includes a reward for school districts complying with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates for students and staff in the state’s public schools.
The bill, totaling $112.1 billion, includes a majority of items outlined in December by DeSantis in his proposed “Freedom First Budget,” according to a report by The Epoch Times. A total of $200 million has been set aside for the 55 school districts that followed the governor’s ban on mask mandates for schools in the Sunshine State. The 12 school districts that imposed a mask mandate after the ban have been made ineligible for the funding.
The bill comes as DeSantis, whom many hail as a leader in the fight against over-reaching Covid state regulations, has warned that Democrats will likely reimpose mask mandates and other Covid restrictions as soon as the midterm elections are over.