---
type: "Bill"
title: "Death Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers"
description: "Death Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers; Revises amount & conditions of payment of death benefits; requires payment be made to beneficiary through process set out by DMA; removes provisions relating to payment when beneficiary is not designated; requires proof of residency or duty post to be provided to DMA; requires DMA to request CFO to draw warrant for payment of benefits from General Revenue Fund."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 621"
citation: "Florida HB 621 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["veterans"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2023-163"
primary_sponsors: ["Barnaby", "Maney"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 41
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2023-02-06"
last_action: "2023-05-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/77c4e677-991a-4315-8bd8-a84617b380a2"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/621/ByCategory"
source_hash: "89ad7bf8447524e34ba617ead195cfbed08ec76f32b78024dcc1e300d884f081"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida HB 621 (2023) — Death Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers

Death Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers; Revises amount & conditions of payment of death benefits; requires payment be made to beneficiary through process set out by DMA; removes provisions relating to payment when beneficiary is not designated; requires proof of residency or duty post to be provided to DMA; requires DMA to request CFO to draw warrant for payment of benefits from General Revenue Fund.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2023-163.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **H 621 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/621/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 621 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/621/BillText/c1/PDF)
3. **H 621 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/621/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Favorable (Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee) — **16–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable With Committee Substitute (State Affairs Committee) — **18–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage, Third Reading — **108–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable (Appropriations Committee) — **26–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Barnaby — primary (person)
- Maney — primary (person)
- State Affairs Committee — primary (organization)
- Bartleman — cosponsor (person)
- Benjamin — cosponsor (person)
- Dunkley — cosponsor (person)
- Eskamani — cosponsor (person)
- Garcia — cosponsor (person)
- Giallombardo — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph — cosponsor (person)
- Leek — cosponsor (person)
- Woodson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-02-06** Filed `filing`
- **2023-02-14** Referred to Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-14** Referred to Appropriations Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-14** Referred to State Affairs Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-14** Now in Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee
- **2023-03-07** 1st Reading (Original Filed Version) `filing, reading-1`
- **2023-03-16** Added to Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee agenda
- **2023-03-20** Favorable by Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-20** Reported out of Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee
- **2023-03-20** Now in Appropriations Committee
- **2023-03-24** Added to Appropriations Committee agenda
- **2023-03-28** Favorable by Appropriations Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-28** Reported out of Appropriations Committee
- **2023-03-28** Now in State Affairs Committee
- **2023-04-07** Added to State Affairs Committee agenda
- **2023-04-11** Favorable with CS by State Affairs Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-12** Reported out of State Affairs Committee
- **2023-04-12** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2023-04-12** CS Filed `filing`
- **2023-04-12** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) `reading-1`
- **2023-04-13** Bill referred to House Calendar
- **2023-04-13** Added to Second Reading Calendar
- **2023-04-25** Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/28/2023)
- **2023-04-28** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-04-28** Added to Third Reading Calendar
- **2023-04-28** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-04-28** CS passed; YEAS 108, NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2023-04-28** In Messages
- **2023-04-28** Referred to Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-28** Received `enrolled`
- **2023-05-01** Withdrawn from Appropriations `withdrawal`
- **2023-05-01** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2023-05-01** Substituted for CS/SB 1094
- **2023-05-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-05-01** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-01** CS passed; YEAS 38 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2023-05-01** In Messages
- **2023-05-01** Ordered enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-05-22** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-05-26** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-26** Chapter No. 2023-163

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/77c4e677-991a-4315-8bd8-a84617b380a2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).