The Florida House voted on dozens of bills Wednesday, as representatives continued the breakneck sprint toward Fridays finish line when the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.
With the two chambers readying for the final days --and the budget vote on Friday --the House continued to take up Senate bills which they had reviewed Tuesday. The House held recesses during the session Wednesday to wait for the Senate to vote on legislation, as bills were shuttled between the two chambers in a session that started at 9:30 in the morning and lasted until just before 9 at night.
The last three days are like the last 10 seconds of a basketball game, said Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, during debate on taking a measure back to the Senate. It can take forever.
The House joined the Senate in forwarding a proposed constitutional amendment to Florida voters in November 2012, replacing the current revenue limitations with a new model relying on inflation and population changes and modeled on the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) passed in Colorado and other states. During the debate, Republicans insisted the proposed amendment would help limit government spending, while Democrats stressed that it would tie the hands of future sessions. The House forwarded the amendment on a 78-40 vote. If 60 percent of the voters back the proposed amendment, it will be added to the state Constitution.
It is the role of our states elected officials to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, said Rep. Steve Precourt, R-Orlando, who sponsored the proposed amendment in the House. This legislation curbs the ability of lawmakers to expand government in times of economic prosperity.It also reserves funds to be used in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophe, and returns excess funds to Floridas taxpayers.
The Senate version of a bill on property insurance which was sponsored in the House by Rep. John Wood, R-Haines City, passed 85-33. Supporters of the measure insisted that it would put insurance rates in the Sunshine State in line with free-market principles, while its opponents in the Democratic ranks maintained that it will lead to an increase in costs for Floridians.
The House passed a bill backed by Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, to expand high-performing charter schools and would give them the ability to apply for charters for up to as many as 15 years. Stargels bill passed 87-27.
The reason I like this bill is it allows us to copy success, said Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville. We are able to emulate the good charter schools. We are able to expand them.
Democrats spoke against the proposal, arguing that the Legislature should focus on improving other public schools.
This bill takes away from the traditional public school and gives an unfair advantage to charter schools, said Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami. We should focus on turning schools around instead of expanding charter schools.
I commend Representative Stargel for sponsoring this legislation which promotes school choice and allows parents to make informed decisions about their childrens educational future, said House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park. School choice is a vital component of our education system for parents who want to ensure their child receives a quality education in a learning environment that is best-suited to his or her individual needs.
The measure also won the backing of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Increasing access to high-performing charter schools and providing students with virtual learning options that allow them to be taught by the best teachers, no matter the students location, is another important step forward in Floridas education reform efforts, said Kathleen Shanahan, a member of both the Florida Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the State Board of Education
The House passed a concealed weapons proposal which would decriminalize accidental weapon exposures. While he supported the measure, the sponsor in the House, Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Heathrow, said it was a watered down version of his initial bill which would have put Florida in line with more than 40 states that have open carry laws. The bill passed on a 99-17 vote.
This is better than the current law and I encourage you to vote for it, said Dorworth, adding that the initial House version was better.
The House passed the Healthy Schools for Healthy Lives Act, 115-1, with only Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, voting against it. The legislation would pave the way for local farmers to work with school districts to include more fruits and vegetables in school breakfast and lunch programs, and would switch control over school lunch programs from the state Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill, which was a high priority for Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, now heads to Gov. Rick Scott who is expected to sign it.
School nutrition programs are key to encouraging Floridas children to make healthy choices at an early age, said Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, who sponsored the bill in the House. Having school nutrition programs under the purview of Commissioner Putnam and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will give schools unparalleled access to Floridas freshest fruits and vegetables by directly connecting Floridas agricultural community and our states schools.
I commend my colleagues for approving this measure today and applaud Representative McKeel for his leadership on this issue, said Cannon. I am confident that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, under the leadership of Commissioner Putnam, will significantly improve the nutrition of our schools cafeteria menus and encourage Floridas children to adopt healthy eating habits at a young age.
I applaud Representative Seth McKeel and members of the Florida House of Representatives for taking a strong stance in support of improving nutrition in our schools cafeterias and voting to pass the Healthy Schools for Healthy Lives Act, said Putnam. "Floridas children deserve every opportunity to have a well-balanced and nutritious meal, and Florida agriculture stands ready to partner with local school districts to ensure this is not only a possibility, but also a top priority.
The House unanimously backed a proposal from Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, which would allow school districts the right to crack down on adults smoking at public schools, bus facilities and school-sponsored sporting events.
No student should ever be exposed to secondhand smoke; it is a proven carcinogen. The verdict is in on secondhand smoke -- it kills, maintained Hager. We have an unequivocal obligation to every student in our state to provide them with a smoke-free learning environment. I am pleased with the passage of this bill.
Rep. Joe Abruzzo, D-Wellington, celebrated the House passing two of his bills without opposition.
It is imperative that we look after not only the first responders in times of distress, but those who support them in doing their job effectively, said Abruzzo, on the House passing his Post Disaster Relief Assistance Act which protects providers of free housing to first responders during disaster and emergencies.
The House also passed Abruzzos bill to create a Silver Alert system in the state forelderly people with reduced mental capacities who go missing.
Our two greatest responsibilities are our children and our parents, said Abruzzo. This law protects our parents to the same extent we protect our children.
The House also unanimously passed a bill backed by Rep. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, to strengthen laws defending victims of relationship violence.
As the law is currently written, a person involved in dating or sexual violence does not receive the same layers of protection as a person involved in domestic violence, said Cruz. It is crucial to try and protect the rights of all victims involved in violent situations.
It is clear that sexual violence against a person should be treated equally without regard to the living situation of the victim, added Cruz.
"We accomplished a good day," said Cannon, who warned that Thursday held much of the same. "I want to thank you all for your hard work and, because of that, we should be in good shape for tomorrow."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
