The next City Council meeting will be held at 5PM on June 14, 2022 at Jacksonville City Hall, 117 West Duval Street, Jacksonville, FL. This meeting will include a dedicated time to public comments within the first two hours or so of the meeting (they often go late).
The bill is Ordinance 2022-0401 and proposes to provide City employees with a $4,000 monetary benefit regarding travel to receive Reproductive Health Care. Travel expenses for termination of pregnancies (abortions) are made eligible costs. Essentially what this bill is proposing is that tax payer funds go to pay for city employees to get abortions out of state. This ordinance was submitted by City Councilman Reggie Gafney who is also running for the Florida Senate.
Here’s a link to the bill itself that is being proposed that we are opposing.
Here’s a link to contact someone’s individual city council member.
Update 6/09/2022:
Two city council committees have already voted this week to withdraw this proposed ordinance. That decision is not finalized until the full City Council votes on 6/14, but there is good reason to be optimistic. There is still an opportunity to both contact your individual council person and to make public comments at the 6/14 meeting. It is recommended that you both express your appreciation that these committees have voted to withdraw the ordinance, and that the whole City Council finalize that decision at the 6/14 meeting.