Florida SB 1186: Drug-free Workplaces

Bill Text

1186 
Florida National Guard Increased Force Structure 
2026-01-06T05:41:14Z 
Urging the Congress of the United States to impel the National Guard Bureau to examine the present allocations of the Florida National Guard and allow an increase in its force structure, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
SM 
Memorial 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SM 1186 

 By Senator Wright 

 8-00476-26 20261186__ 
 1 Senate Memorial 
 2 A memorial to the Congress of the United States, 
 3 urging Congress to impel the National Guard Bureau to 
 4 examine the present allocations of the Florida 
 5 National Guard and allow an increase in its force 
 6 structure. 
 7 
 8 WHEREAS, the number of soldiers and airmen allocated to 
 9 each state’s National Guard, known as its “force structure,” is 
 10 determined by the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., and 
 11 WHEREAS, with approximately 21 million residents, Florida 
 12 is the third most populous state in the nation but has a force 
 13 structure of just over 12,000 Guardsmen, and its ratio of one 
 14 Guardsman for every 1,833 residents ranks 53rd among the 54 
 15 states and territories of the United States which have a 
 16 National Guard component, and 
 17 WHEREAS, due to the unprecedented events of 2020 and 2021, 
 18 including COVID-19 response, natural disasters, and overseas 
 19 deployments, the Florida National Guard expended the same number 
 20 of workdays in 18 months as it had expended during the previous 
 21 20 years, and 
 22 WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard continues to meet its 
 23 mission goals; however, the shortage of these invaluable 
 24 “citizen soldiers,” combined with the state’s growing population 
 25 and increased need for National Guard activation and response, 
 26 has resulted in the repeated redeployment of the same soldiers, 
 27 which ultimately leads to excessive stress and fatigue and 
 28 negatively impacts recruitment, retention, and readiness, and 
 29 WHEREAS, the National Guard Bureau’s report titled “Impact 
 30 of U.S. Population Trends on National Guard Force Structure,” 
 31 released to Congress in April 2021, acknowledges the 
 32 aforementioned concerns within Florida and other regions, 
 33 stating that “the National Guard may need to evaluate 
 34 reallocating mission sets to other geographic areas to keep pace 
 35 with changing demographics across the country,” NOW, THEREFORE, 
 36 
 37 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 38 
 39 That the Florida Legislature respectfully urges the United 
 40 States Congress to impel the National Guard Bureau to examine 
 41 the present allocations of the Florida National Guard and allow 
 42 an increase in its force structure. 
 43 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State dispatch 
 44 copies of this memorial to the President of the United States, 
 45 the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
 46 United States House of Representatives, and each member of the 
 47 Florida delegation to the United States Congress.