Rep. JosRodriguez, D-Miami
Date of Birth: Aug. 8, 1978
Birthplace: Miami
Residence: Miami
Education: Harvard Law School, Juris Doctor
Occupation: Attorney.
Previous Public Office: None.
Did you know?Lived in West Africa for three years as a Peace Corps volunteer.He might be new topolitics, but for Rep. JosRodriguez, D-Miami, his election to the Florida House in November is just the continuation of adistinguishedcareer in public service.
"I've always been involved in the community, in getting regular people involved to solve their problems," he tells Sunshine State News. "All the work I do is getting regular people involved with issues affecting them, showing them how they can move toward effecting their own solutions."
The son of a Cuban exile-turned-small businessentrepreneur,the 34-year-old Rodriguez's entire adult career reflects that commitment to serving those needier than himself. Before enrolling in Harvard Law School, he spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer, helping the less fortunate in urban and rural areas around the world -- "I've been to Timbuktu; it's a real place!" -- to start their own businesses. And since graduating from one of the top law schools in the nation, he's devoted his legal vocation to representing indigent clients pro bono.
That devotion to aiding the underdog and empoweringentrepreneursis reflected in the legislation he's filed for the upcoming session
HB 261 ("Unemployment Compensation") would revise the state's unemployment compensation statutes to allow someone to qualify for benefits if they quit their job as a result of their being a victim of domestic violence. Rodriguez says this is a necessary revision to a system he calls "very outdated."
HB 563 ("Reporting Requirements for Economic Development Programs") would require the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to maintain an updated, public online database tracking the successes and failures of the state's various private-public economic partnerships.
"There's a lot ofreallygood thinking and good planning that's going into these projects in our state," Rodriguez says, "But some of the institutions that we do these partnerships through really do need more oversight and we need more information about how effective these programs really are."
He says he has other legislation coming down the pipeline, including a bill, not yet filed, which would secure in-state tuition benefits for "students who have trouble proving their immigration status."
Having been assigned to the House's Select Committee on PPACA (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act --i.e., "Obamacare"), he's keeping a keen eye on where the state should go in implementing the controversial health care law. Asked what he thought of Gov. Rick Scott's recent decision to endorse Medicaid expansion, he offers cautious praise.
"I think the governor is being practical," Rodriguez says. "However we may feel about the Affordable Care Act, the decisions we have to make here in Florida are: do we accept federal funding so more people have access to care, or do we reject it and put our hospitals in a really tough situation?"
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
