April 2022: Florida Governor Signs “Individual Freedom” Bill into Law

Update Applicable to:
All employers in the state of Florida.

What happened?
On April 22, 2022, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 7 (HB 7), also known as the “Individual Freedom” bill and the “Stop WOKE Act,” into law which would limit workplace training and instructional materials and practices bearing on race and sex relations in Florida.

What are the details?
Effective July 1, 2022, HB 7 will protect civil rights in employment and K-20 education by specifying that subjecting an employee or student to a required activity that promotes, advances, or compels individuals to believe discriminatory concepts, constitutes unlawful discrimination.

Concepts constituting unlawful discrimination include:

• That members of one race, color, national origin, or sex are morally superior to members of another race, color, national origin, or sex.
• A person by virtue of their race or sex is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive.
• A person’s moral character or status as privileged or oppressed is determined by race, color, national origin, or sex.
• A person, by virtue of their race, color, national origin, or sex should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment to achieve diversity, equity, or inclusion.

For more information, please see the links below:

House Bill 7 (HB 7)

Freedom From Indoctrination Handout

Article 1 – Article 2

What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links provided above and make adjustments to their workplace training, instructional materials, and practices to ensure that they do not contain any indication that a race, color, national origin, and/or gender is superior, racist, sexist, oppressive, privileged, or oppressed.