Class was in session at the Capitol building Wednesday in Tallahassee, as newly-elected legislators attended Special Session 101.
About 30 incoming state representatives attended a staff briefing on the nine bills and one budget item that were passed with overwhelming support this year but were vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist. Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, have called a special session after legislators are sworn in Tuesday in order to override the vetoes. The midterm elections gave the two legislative leaders veto-proof majorities in both houses.
New bills up for consideration during the special session will deal with funding for the HVAC rebate program, moving the implementation date for mandatory septic tank inspections from January to July, and a nonbinding resolution stating the Legislatures intent to root out fraud and inefficiencies in the Medicaid program.
Democrat Reggie Fullwood, who was elected last week as the House Representative for District 15, which covers downtown Jacksonville, appreciated the primer on the upcoming session.
A lot of info. I think it was very beneficial. I think it's been a great opportunity to get to know other freshmen and build relationships, Fullwood said.
Despite Crists vetoes of the bills, Cannon and Haridopolos consider the bills due for veto override during the special session to be politically innocuous. Only one of them passed with more than seven negative votes in either chamber. The new House members reflected that Wednesday, asking few questions of staff members.
Most of them, I understand and agree with, even as a Democrat, Fullwood said.
The bill slated for a veto override that received the most dissenting votes is HB 5611, which would move oversight of the Department of Management Services from the governors office to the full Cabinet. The bill was unanimously approved in the Senate but received a 76-44 vote in the House.
Legislators are also looking to restore $9.7 million to Shands Hospital in Gainesville that Crist vetoed as a budget item. If the money is appropriated, Florida would be eligible for $17 million in federal grants for Medicaid.
Fullwoods concerns about the special session center around the new bills scheduled to come up. The septic tank inspection requirement could conflict with a local Duval County program, and hes seeking more information on the rebate program and the direction of Medicaid reform, even though legislators will only vote on a nonbinding resolution on that issue during the special session.
Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral, introduced the staffers to brief the freshmen, and reminded them that some of the bills could be dropped from the special session, but that new bills are unlikely to be added to the schedule before Tuesday.
You can pretty much take it to the bank that there wont be any new bills in the session, Aubuchon said.
Aubuchon was recently tapped by Cannon as the new House Rules chairman, and is responsible for scheduling committee meetings, hearings and other House business.
Cannon and Haridopolos declared last week that they will not bring up more controversial bills that passed in both chambers but were vetoed by Crist in the last legislative session, such as SB 6, which tied teacher pay to performance. That bill and other, more contentious legislation dealing with illegal immigration and ultrasounds for abortion seekers could come up during the regular legislative session in 2011.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
