Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1606 By Senator Rodriguez 39-01480B-21 20211606__ Page 1 of 2 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1

An act relating to victims of communism; amending s. 2 683.01, F.S.; establishing November 7 as the Victims 3 of Communism legal holiday; requiring the Legislature 4 to annually observe a moment of silence in observance 5 of the victims of communism; providing an effective 6 date. 7 8 WHEREAS, over 100 years have passed since the Bolshevik 9 Revolution in Russia and the formation of the first communist 10 government under Vladimir Lenin, leading to decades of 11 oppression and violence under communist regimes throughout the 12 world, and 13 WHEREAS, based on the economic philosophies of Karl Marx, 14 communism has proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty, 15 prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise to such 16 infamous totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Hồ 17 Chí Minh, and Pol Pot, and 18 WHEREAS, communist regimes worldwide have killed more than 19 100 million people and subjected countless others to 20 exploitation and unspeakable atrocities, with victims 21 representing many different ethnicities, creeds, and 22 backgrounds, and 23 WHEREAS, through false promises of equality and liberation, 24 communist regimes have systematically robbed their own citizens 25 of the rights of freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and 26 freedom of association through coercion, brutality, and fear, 27 and 28 WHEREAS, many victims of communism were persecuted as 29 Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1606 39-01480B-21 20211606__ Page 2 of 2 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. political prisoners for speaking out against these regimes, and 30 others were killed in genocidal state-sponsored purges of 31 undesirable groups, and 32 WHEREAS, in addition to violating basic human rights, 33 communist regimes have suppressed intellectual freedom, cultural 34 life, and self-determination movements in more than 40 nations, 35 NOW, THEREFORE, 36 37 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 38 39

Section 1. Present paragraphs (

q) through (

u) of subsection 40 (1) of

section 683.01, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as 41 paragraphs (

r) through (v), respectively, and a new paragraph 42 (

q) is added to that subsection, to read: 43 683.01 Legal holidays.— 44

(1) The legal holidays, which are also public holidays, are 45 the following: 46 (

q) Victims of Communism Day, November 7. 47

Section 2. The Legislature shall, on the final day of each 48 regular legislative session, observe a moment of silence in 49 observance of the victims of communism. 50

Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021. 51