Demonstrators hold signs during a rally in support of abortion rights on May 23, 2019, in Miami. | Lynne Sladky/APTALLAHASSEE, Florida — Abortion-rights groups in Florida are locked in a battle with the state over the cost for a ballot measure that would overturn the state’s six-week ban.
Florida law requires each ballot initiative to include a financial impact statement for voters to consider. The statement for the abortion-rights amendment — which would allow for the procedure in the state up to the point of a pregnancy’s viability — was finalized in November of last year, well before the state’s current, six-week ban went into effect.
The estimating conference will meet on Monday and again on July 8. Estimating conferences usually require two days for public comment and extensive discussion before they provide a statement. The conference is organized by the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and conferees include top budget staffers from the House, Senate and the governor’s office.
Even as legislative leaders have reconvened the estimating conference, the state continues to fight the lawsuit, seeking a revised impact statement in court. The campaign to put Amendment 4 on the ballot began after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the six-week ban into law in April of last year and faced several hurdles from the state.