While Fatherhood Initiative Gets Traction, Fla., Lawmaker Wants To Ensure Single Moms Aren't Criticized

Florida Phoenix

February 22, 2022

A “fatherhood” initiative led by Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls is moving through the 2022 Legislature, but what about mothers?

The issue came up Monday during the Senate Committee on Appropriations, when senators on the panel unanimously approved HB 7065, the fatherhood policy initiative entitled “an act relating to child welfare.”

State Sen. Darryl Rouson wanted to ensure that the bill doesn’t “criticize the single mother.”

Rouson, a Democrat representing parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, asked Sen. Aaron Bean, “This bill — does it in any way critique or criticize or put down the strong, single mother?”

“It does not,” replied Bean, who is vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and represents Nassau County and part of Duval in Northeast Florida.

Rouson also wanted to ensure that the initiative doesn’t support abusive fathers. “Nor does this bill I think force abusive fathers on to a family situation?” Rouson said.

“That is correct,” Bean replied.

Bean presented the legislation — which originated and already passed in the House — that would boost resources for fathers across the state and require state agencies to implement fatherhood programs.

The initiative, Bean said, “goes all in on fatherhood.”

Overall, the proposal on fatherhood has drawn bipartisan support from lawmakers in both chambers, with the state House proposing to invest more than $60 million in the 2022-23 state budget to award grants and expand mentorship programs.

“Never before have I seen so many people cover the steps of the Old Capitol that we did last week,” Bean said during the appropriations meeting. “And it was because we wanted to stand for fatherhood.”

Sen. Bean also noted at the meeting that the fatherhood initiative offers an increase to a stipend a child receives when they leave foster care and enroll in postsecondary education. The monthly stipend would be $1,720, up from $1,256 for young adults.

“They get a stipend if they are going to school and if they are working or a vocational program. We are upping that stipend,” Bean said.

Earlier, questions have been raised by the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, about language in existing state law that defines a “special needs child” as a child “of black or racially mixed parentage.”

State Rep. Patricia Williams, a Democrat representing part of Broward County, pushed to amend the fatherhood bill in the House last week, to take away the term “special needs child” and replace it with a “difficult to place” child.

Williams said at that time:

“After reading over the bill and understanding what exactly what the bill is all about, and reading over some of the statutes that relate to foster children and adoptive kids I see that one of the statutes mentions that special needs children are children who are 8 years or older, developmental disabled, physical or emotional handicapped, Black or racially mixed child.

“And under special needs, I don’t think a child that’s Black or racially mixed should be considered as special needs,” she added. “I am requesting to replace special needs with children who are difficult to place.”

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