Not all of the GOP's incomers in the 2011 Legislature were rookies. Two veteran lawmakers who term-limited out of their House seats are back this session, and they're doing some heavy lifting.
Rep. Dennis Baxley chairs the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, where he is leading the Republican charge to reform Florida's sprawling criminal justice system.
"We want to go from being tough on crime, to being right on crime," said Baxley, whose committee bills are focusing on substance abuse, mental health and recidivism.
Venturing onto historically Democratic turf, this year's GOP agenda pushes diversion programs and additional access to drug courts, with an overriding goal of curbing incarceration.
"The longer the state has contact with them, the worse it gets," notes Baxley, R-Ocala.
As a law-and-order conservative who helped pass the "Stand and Defend" law (also known as the Castle Doctrine) in his previous stint at the Legislature, Baxley has the street cred to promote reforms without appearing "soft on crime." And he says he is "very impressed" in working with the directors Gov. Rick Scott has installed at the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Armed with studies from Florida TaxWatch and the Pew Research Center, Baxley and his committee are approaching their work with an overriding goal to contain spending.
"It's expensive to imprison people. We're also looking for cost-efficient ways to address the human cost," he says.
Criminal justice is a new area for the legislative veteran known primarily for his work on education reform during the Jeb Bush era. And Baxley's versatility is coming in handy.
In addition to his subcommittee chairmanship, he is carrying the GOP election-reform package (House Bill 1355) and he was recently appointed to the 15-member House Reapportionment Subcommittee. As Baxley noted: "I've been through the process before."
The 58-year-old Baxley, who operates a funeral home business in Marion County, says "recycling" lawmakers can help the legislative environment.
"I believe in term limits. I also believe in putting institutional knowledge back to work," said Baxley, who left the House midway through his fourth and final term to run (unsuccessfully) in a special election for state Senate in 2007.
"The key to term limits is to end the power of incumbency, give other people a chance to run. But it's a two-edged sword: You get a lot of fresh talent and participation, but you lose a lot of institutional knowledge," he says.
"I try to withhold being Mr. Know It All, but when things come up in debate, I try to help," Baxley notes. "The younger members have been receptive and kind to me."
Rep. Gayle Harrell has had a similar experience in her return to the 2011 House, where she chairs the Health and Human Services Access Subcommittee.
"I was humbled and honored to be given a subcommittee chairmanship," says Harrell, R-Port St. Lucie.
Having longtime experience with health-care issues as the wife of a physician and owner of a mammogram center, Harrell also sits on the 22-member Health Informational Technology Policy Committee in Washington, D.C.
Harrell calls this year's health conversation "challenging and controversial," amid high-stakes efforts to reform Medicaid. And she's taken some heat for sidelining some proposed bills at her committee, notably one that would allow Florida's nurse practitioners to practice at their full scope, as they do in 48 other states.
HB 4103, by Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, has the nurses' enthusiastic support, said Susan Lynch, vice president for public relations at the nurse practitioners' PAC.
Buttressing Campbell's bill, a Florida Department of Health report found that reducing current supervision requirements "would allow more access to health care," and the Federal Trade Commission issued a letter lambasting the 2006 Legislature for applying physician-driven restrictions.
But though the FTC called HB 4103 "a pro-competitive improvement in the law," Harrell has not budged on the bill, sparking charges that she is too closely tied to the Florida Medical Association, which opposes the measure.
Chafing at the subcommittee roadblock, Lynch says, "Lawmakers are wasting hundreds of millions annually by keeping restrictions to nurse practitioners in place, and taxpayers are paying the price."
Harrell responds, "You simply run out of time as to what you can hear."
Noting that the number of health-care subcommittees was reduced this year, Harrell predicted "a whole variety of health and human services bill" will not get heard this session as Medicaid reform measures fill hours of her subcommittee's agenda.
In addition to health care, Harrell has found time to sponsor several bills, including one tightening laws concerning sexual predators and another establishing a Veterans Hall of Fame at the Capitol.
Harrell, who came up short in a GOP primary for Congress in 2008, says she has already filed for re-election to the state House in 2012.
The 67-year-old Harrell enjoys sharing her experience with less-seasoned lawmakers, saying she gets "a lot of requests from the energetic freshman class, asking for assistance on many bills. It's a delight to work with them."
A former lawmaker who knows both Baxley and Harrell said the duo can appreciate a young legislative class. They themselves first entered the House with a large bloc of freshmen in 2000 because term limits that took effect in 1992 had kicked in.
"Having seasoned veterans brings a calming effect over the rest of the new members," said the retired legislator, who requested anonymity. "Life experience and legislative experience can only bode well for the others, and it behooves them to pay attention."
A Republican consultant, also speaking privately, said Baxley and Harrell disprove the adage that one can never go home again.
By taking a break from the Legislature, "the time to re-engage in their communities has made them better. It's the best of both worlds."
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341.