HB0031 • 2026

Recognizing Judea and Samaria

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Government Operations Subcommittee ; Tramont ; Tendrich ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Bankson ; Benarroch ; Black ; Cassel ; Cobb ; Daniels ; Gottlieb ; Holcomb ; Kendall ; Maney ; Miller ; Partington ; Plakon ; Redondo ; Rizo
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Rules
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

There is a conflict in the provided metadata: 'Official status explanation' states it passed and reached final enrollment, while 'Last action' states it died in Senate Rules. The summary reflects both facts without resolving which outcome occurred.

Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act

This bill requires Florida state agencies to stop using the term 'West Bank' in official documents and mandates that new school instructional materials adopted after July 1, 2026, refer to the area as 'Judea and Samaria'.

What This Bill Does

Defines the land liberated by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War as 'Judea' (south of Jerusalem) and 'Samaria' (north of Jerusalem).
Prohibits state agencies from using the term 'West Bank' in official government materials.
Bans spending money to create official government materials that use the name 'West Bank'.
Requires instructional materials and library media center collections adopted or acquired on or after July 1, 2026, by district school boards or charter school governing boards to refer to the area as 'Judea and Samaria'.
Prohibits new instructional materials and library collections from using the term 'West Bank'.

Who It Names or Affects

Florida state agencies, including departments, divisions, offices, boards, commissions, and institutions.
District school boards in Florida.
Charter school governing boards in Florida.

Terms To Know

Official government material: A guidance, rule, briefing, press release, communication, or work product document prepared by a state agency.
State agency: Every department, division, office, board, commission, and institution of the State of Florida.

Limits and Unknowns

The requirements for schools only apply to materials adopted or acquired on or after July 1, 2026.
The bill text does not specify how existing books in use before that date must be handled.
Although the official status indicates the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, the last recorded action shows it died in Senate Rules.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

682879

Committee amendment H 31 Filed • Tramont

Adopted 1/21/2026

Plain English: This amendment requires Florida state agencies and schools to use the names 'Judea' and 'Samaria' instead of 'West Bank' in official documents and new educational materials.

State government offices must stop using the term 'West Bank' in their reports, press releases, and other official papers.
Schools buying or adopting textbooks and library books after July 1, 2026, must use the names 'Judea' and 'Samaria'.
The law defines these areas as land Israel took from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War.

This rule only applies to new school materials bought after July 1, 2026, and does not mention older books already in use.
The text does not explain what happens if a state agency or school breaks this rule.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Rules
2026-02-18 Senate
• Received
2026-02-12 Senate
• In Messages • Referred to Rules
2026-02-11 House
• Read 2nd time • Added to Third Reading Calendar • Read 3rd time • CS passed; YEAS 92, NAYS 14
2026-02-05 House
• Bill added to Special Order Calendar (2/11/2026)
2026-01-27 House
• Favorable by State Affairs Committee • Reported out of State Affairs Committee • Bill released to House Calendar • Added to Second Reading Calendar
2026-01-23 House
• Added to State Affairs Committee agenda
2026-01-22 House
• Referred to State Affairs Committee • Now in State Affairs Committee • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
2026-01-21 House
• Favorable with CS by Government Operations Subcommittee • Reported out of Government Operations Subcommittee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed
2026-01-16 House
• Added to Government Operations Subcommittee agenda
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-10-01 House
• Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee • Referred to State Affairs Committee • Now in Government Operations Subcommittee
2025-09-23 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Recognizing Judea and Samaria; Prohibits use of term "West Bank" in official government materials; prohibits use of moneys to create official government materials using such term; requires instructional materials & library media center collections adopted or acquired by certain entities on or after specified date to refer to certain area as Judea & Samaria; prohibits instructional materials & library media center collections adopted or acquired by certain entities on or after specified date from using term "West Bank."

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

CS/HB 31 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb31-01-c1
Page 1 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to recognizing Judea and Samaria; 2
providing a short title; creating s. 1.016, F.S.; 3
providing legislative intent; defining the terms 4
"official government material" and "state agency"; 5
prohibiting the use of the term "West Bank" in 6
official government materials; prohibiting the use of 7
moneys to create official government materials using 8
such term; requiring instructional materials and 9
library media center collections adopted or acquired 10
by certain entities on or after a specified date to 11
refer to a certain area as Judea and Samaria; 12
prohibiting instructional materials and library media 13
center collections adopted or acquired by certain 14
entities on or after a specified date from using the 15
term "West Bank"; providing an effective date. 16
17
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18
19
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Recognizing Judea 20
and Samaria Act." 21
Section 2. Section 1.016, Florida Statutes, is created to 22
read: 23
1.016 Recognizing Judea and Samaria.— 24
(1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the intent of the 25

CS/HB 31 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb31-01-c1
Page 2 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

Legislature to: 26
(a) Refer to the land liberated by Israel from Jordan 27
during the 1967 Six-Day War by its historical name of "Judea and 28
Samaria," with the land south of Jerusalem being considered 29
"Judea" and the land north of Jerusalem being considered 30
"Samaria." 31
(b) No longer use the term "West Bank" in official 32
government materials. 33
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this act, the term: 34
(a) "Official government material" means a guidance, rule, 35
material, briefing, press release, communication, or work 36
product document prepared by a state agency. 37
(b) "State agency" means every department, division, 38
office, board, commission, and institution of this state. 39
(3) PROHIBITIONS.—A state agency may not use the term 40
"West Bank" to refer to Judea and Samaria in an official 41
government material or use moneys to create an official 42
government material that refers to Judea and Samaria as "West 43
Bank." 44
Section 3. Instructional materials, as defined in s. 45
1006.28(1)(a), Florida Statutes, and library media center 46
collections that are adopted or acquired on or after July 1, 47
2026, by a district school board or charter school governing 48
board must refer to the land liberated by Israel from Jordan 49
during the 1967 Six-Day War by its historical name of "Judea and 50

CS/HB 31 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb31-01-c1
Page 3 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

Samaria," with the land south of Jerusalem being considered 51
"Judea" and the land north of Jerusalem being considered 52
"Samaria." Such materials and collections adopted or acquired on 53
or after July 1, 2026, by a district school board or charter 54
school governing board may not use the term "West Bank" to refer 55
to Judea and Samaria. 56
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 57