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HB 31FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead

Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act

Original title: Recognizing Judea and Samaria

March 13, 2026

Companion · SB 1106same policy, Senate version

education government policy geopolitics state agencies school curriculum construction of statutes

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The Frame

What this does

The bill would have mandated a change in terminology for all state-produced communications and public school educational resources, affecting how geography is taught and documented in Florida government operations.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

State agencies

They would have been prohibited from using the term 'West Bank' in any official communications or documents.

District school boards

They would have been required to ensure all new instructional materials and library collections use the terms 'Judea' and 'Samaria'.

Charter school governing boards

They would have been required to ensure all new instructional materials and library collections use the terms 'Judea' and 'Samaria'.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill would have required Florida state agencies, public school districts, and charter schools to use the terms 'Judea' and 'Samaria' instead of 'West Bank' in all official documents and . It prohibited the use of state funds to produce materials using the term 'West Bank' and set a compliance deadline of July 1, 2026.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What terms would this bill have required?

The bill would have required the use of 'Judea' for land south of Jerusalem and 'Samaria' for land north of Jerusalem.

Did this bill become law?

No, the bill died in the Rules committee on March 13, 2026.

Who would have been affected by these naming requirements?

All Florida state agencies, district school boards, and charter school governing boards would have been required to comply.

News Coverage

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Voting Record

Motion succeededlower2/11/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Passage, Third Reading

Total

117

Yes

Present

Not Voting

Abstain

How they voted (117)

+ 93 more

Full roll-call analysis →

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Terminology Mandate

The bill represents an attempt to codify specific geopolitical terminology into state law for both administrative and educational purposes.

Florida Legislature

Connected Entities

organizationCharter school governing board Map →

organizationDistrict school board Map →

organizationState agency Map →

organizationFlorida Legislature Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy85
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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