As chatter grows louder that he could run for the U.S. Senate in 2016 if U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio runs for the presidency, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater unveiled his legislative agenda on Tuesday, the first day of the session.
Atwater came out behind legislation fighting fraud, reforming education requirements for insurance professionals and streamlining government.
I look forward to working with the Legislature on several initiatives that will streamline the way we do business, advocate for standardized hospital billing practices and drive out the fraud that is driving up the cost of living in our state, Atwater said on Tuesday.
The state CFO said he was backing a measure from Sen. Tom Lee, R-Naples, and Rep. Scott Plakon, R- Longwood, giving the state Department of Financial Services the green light to streamline its operations.
On the insurance front, Atwater said on Tuesday he was backing a bill from Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Orange Park, and Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Eustis, to battle fraud. Atwater also announced on Tuesday that he was backing a measure waiving state examinations for insurance professionals who have passed certain college courses and have degrees. The legislation is backed by Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, and Rep. Jay Fant, R-Jacksonville.
Atwater also waded into health-care issues, backing a bill from Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Jacksonville, and Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Doral, helping consumers with costs when forced to go out-of-network due to emergencies. The state CFO endorsed a proposal from Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, and Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, changing workers compensation manuals.
Pointing to 1.45 million unclaimed federal savings bonds valued at $492 million from individuals who were last known to be in Florida, Atwater also said he backed a bill from Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Rep. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, including federal bonds as part of the states unclaimed property program.
Atwater has grown increasingly active in recent weeks as Rubio looks increasingly likely to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 instead of running for a second Senate term. Last week, reports had Atwater in Washington, D.C., to meet with the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC). On Saturday, Atwater addressed a meeting of the Federalist Society, a right-of-center group working on legal issues, at Walt Disney World.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
