Rep. Travis Cummings,R-Orange Park
Date of Birth: June 30, 1972
Birthplace: Jacksonville
Residence: Orange Park
Occupation: Employee benefits consultant
Education:Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, Valdosta State University (1994);Master of Business Administration, University of North Florida (2001)
Previous Public Office(s):Clay County Commission (2008-2011): Chairman, 2009-2011;Orange Park Town Council (2002-2009): Mayor, 2004
Family: Wife, two sons
Did you know?Ran and completed two marathons: Chicago (2002), Disney (2004)
Conservative Clay Countys freshman representative, an employee benefits consultant and marathon runner, tells Sunshine State News hes ready to hit the ground running on healthcare reform.
Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, took Floridas newly-created District 18 with no primary or general election opposition, winning both races by default.
But hes an accomplished statesman in his own right, having served terms as mayor and vice-mayor of Orange Park, and on the Clay County Commission since 2008 (and chairman since 2009). His consulting experience, along with his membership on the board of the Orange Park Medical Center, has also served him well: last week, Speaker of the House Will Weatherford announced Cummingss appointment to two major house committees: Health and Human Services and the Select Committee on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
That latter appointment places Cummings among a handful of his partys members on the committee in charge of vetting and proposing the Florida Legislatures response to the Democrats controversial Obamacare bill, a subject destined to dominate Sunshine State lawmaking in 2013.
Cummings tells the News he is deeply honored by Weatherfords entrustment of these committee responsibilities; he had requested placement on Health and Human Services, but his appointment to the Select Committee came as a welcome surprise.
"I have local government experience dealing with the question of Medicaid reform, and professionally, Ive consulted and advised small and large businesses on their employee benefits, including their healthcare plans, he tells the News. These are topics I have some knowledge of, and I look forward to deepening that knowledge and gaining more of it.
Cummings has also been appointed to the Economic Affairs Committee, and to two subcommittees: Business & Professional Regulation and Government Operations.
Not surprisingly, he tells the News two priorities of his will be the easing of debilitating regulations on businesses and expansion of school choice. He finds the idea of Florida establishing a 13thstate university one that is completely online interesting, but wont commit to supporting it until hes learned more.
Asked where he stands on the question of Florida operating its own health insurance exchanges under Obamacare, or leaving that to the federal government, he says he remains uncommitted until the federal government makes clear under what conditions Florida would have to operate and how expensive it would be if it chooses to operate the exchanges itself.
There is so much unknown there, and I compliment [state House and Senate leadership] for saying we need to have more discussion first, he tells the News. I believe that having local control by the state of Florida would be attractive, since were closer to our constituents than anyone in Washington is; but and this is a big but we dont know what the cost of that would be, or what the rules for running it would be. A lot of things are in limbo right now.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
