State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC)
Our League participates in the Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC), a non-partisan education and advocacy organization representing 23 Junior Leagues and over 11,000 women statewide. For nearly 40 years, we have monitored legislation and advocated for issues to help improve the lives of Florida women, children, and families.
We advocate for legislation that aligns with our Position Statements which are reviewed and updated annually.
For the 2024 legislative session, SPAC’s advocacy efforts are focused on health and hunger issues affecting children and families. Other recent priority issue areas have included at-risk youth, education, and child safety and welfare.
Past Accomplishments
Legislative reform in these areas has accomplished the following:
- Allows unaccompanied youth to consent to medical, dental, psychological, substance abuse, surgical diagnosis and treatment for themselves and their children.
- Limits the liability of public schools in donating canned/perishable food to charities/non-profits.
- Prevents an estimated 10,000 children from falling victim to identity theft each year. Read the letter of appreciation from Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam recognizing the Junior Leagues of Florida’s efforts to pass this important legislation.
- Raises the age requirement for children to be buckled in an appropriate safety seat, thereby significantly reducing the severity of injuries inflicted on children in auto accidents.
- Helps victims of human trafficking.
- Creates more restrictions and increased penalties for sexual offenders and traffickers.
In recent years, we have also supported aging out of foster care reform, the eradication of food deserts to help decrease family homelessness and hunger, legislation on cybercrimes related to sexual images of children sent electronically, eliminating sales tax on diapers, and many more issues.
Helpful Links
Here are some helpful links to keep you up-to-date with current legislation in Florida.
Junior Leagues of Florida SPAC
Current Session 2024
- January – SPAC Delegate Tina Ashley, SPAC Assistant Yvonne Moniz, and Community Affairs Chair Simone Rodriguez traveled to Tallahassee to attend the Junior Leagues of Florida SPAC Conference and meet with our local legislators to rally support for the bills that impact women and children across Broward County.
If you have more questions about our SPAC mission, please reach out!
