What to Know
- Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed numerous bills into law on Friday, 74 in total.
- U.S. Congress has to approve Florida's daylight saving time move for it to come into effect.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is signing off on a measure that would let Florida stay on daylight saving time all year long. He also signed a bill banning child marriage and a tax cut package.
Scott on Friday signed 74 bills into law, including the "Sunshine Protection Act." The measure won't take effect unless Congress also changes federal law.
But if Congress were to go along, Floridians would no longer set back their clock an hour each November.
That would translate into later sunrises and sunsets from November to March.
Scott in a statement said he supported the move because it would help the state's tourism industry. He said it would allow residents and visitors to "enjoy everything our beautiful state has to offer later in the day."
The Florida PTA had asked for a veto because more children would go to school in the morning in the dark.
Local
It will soon be illegal in Florida for anyone under the age of 17 to get married under a bill signed into law by Scott.
Scott signed into law the ban on child marriages and a tax cut package that authorizes a back-to-school sales tax holiday in August.
The ban takes effect in July.
The legislation was a compromise between the House and Senate. The Senate originally passed a bill that banned the marriage of anyone under 18, but the House wanted exceptions for some 16- and 17-year-olds when there's a pregnancy.
The bill signed by Scott would set limits on the marriage of 17-year-olds. While pregnancy won't be a factor, anyone marrying a 17-year-old couldn't be more than two years older and minors would need parental consent.
