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In This Issue...
1. NOTES FROM THE AFC CEO
2. BILL SUMMARY UPDATE
3. FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: WEEKLY ROUNDUP
NOTES FROM THE AFC CEO, MICHAEL BRAWER
Busy week as the 2020 Session approaches the midpoint.
As reported from AFC-COP contract lobbyists at the Southern Group, Governor Ron DeSantis announced efforts to funnel $735 million for communities impacted by Hurricane Michael. He also formed the Florida Foundation for Correctional Excellence to bring together public and private partners to increase investment in re-entry programs and workforce training. Meanwhile, the Senate passed SB 404, Abortion, which prohibits a doctor from performing an abortion on a minor child unless the doctor has received a notarized, written consent statement signed by the child’s mother, father, or legal guardian.
Cannabis remains in the spotlight with Senator Montford's SB 1876 being heard in the Senate's Agriculture committee and Representative Drake's similar bill, HB 1063, being heard in the House's Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee. These corresponding bills are both pushing for the State Hemp Program to be revised in an effort to allow the growing industry to expand. These revisions include removing the requirement of which licensees only use certain hemp seeds and cultivators. Both bills passed their respective committees this week with the option of moving forward in the upcoming weeks.
In Education, conversations revolved around the Governor's recommendations for revising the state English Language Arts (ELA) and Math standards through HB 7079. If successful, HB 7079 will codify state statutes by removing common core and introducing the Florida B.E.S.T. (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking) Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. Education subcommittees also discussed Florida Virtual, Alyssa's Law, and school attendance.
The environment and natural resources arena was also busy. More land purchases were approved - two land deals in Southwest Florida and a conservation easement designed to protect the Myakka River Watershed. The Senate Appropriations Committee is poised to consider Senator Debbie Mayfield's comprehensive environment and natural resources legislation, SB 712 which includes the recommendations from the Governor's Blue Green Algae Task Force, the septic program moves from Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection, and directs the FDEP to make rules regarding wastewater, stormwater, agriculture and biosolids.
Technology bills received some focus but House and Senate leaders are separated by approximately $1.5 billion. In the House, Representative Grant unveiled a committee substitute to his original information technology reorganization package. The revised bill continues support for a new Florida Digital Service in the place of the Division of State Technology but also calls for the creation of a multi-branch governance body to oversee the new entity. Additional bills crafted to align the state’s public records and information security with the new proposed structure also passed out of committee. Next week the Senate companion bills to these measures will be taken up in their respective committees giving this reorganization further momentum.
We welcome you to track our progress weekly in Capitol Perceptions. Feel free to share it with a college friend who is not an AFC member. The online AFC Advocacy Toolkit is filling up with valuable and informative resources for you including a link to each week’s most recent 2020 AFC/FCS Bill Tracking Matrix.
BILL SUMMARY/UPDATE
For a complete summary spreadsheet of all bills being tracked download each week’s: 2020 AFC/FCS Bill Tracking Matrix.
To review the Council of Presidents Legislative Budget Request CLICK HERE.
Priority Bills the AFC is tracking:
HB 3231: The Florida College Risk Management Consortium (Rep. Ponder/Sen. Hutson)
• APPROPRIATION Request: $18,668,823
• The Florida College System Risk Management Consortium;
• Provides an appropriation to offset extensive reserve payouts due to storms for deductibles.
HB 3231 Reported out of Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee 12/10/2019. Now in Appropriations Committee. 1st Reading on Tuesday, January 14, 2020.
HB 171/SB 372: Postsecondary Education for Certain Military Personnel (Rep. Ponder/Sen. Lee).
• Postsecondary Education for Certain Military Personnel BOG and SBE, in consultation with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, to create a uniform process for the awarding of postsecondary credit to certain service members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces
HB 171 reported out of Education on 01/23/2020, placed on Calendar for 2nd reading.
SB 372 favorable out of Appropriations on 01/23/20, placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/12/20.
HB 725/SB 418: Workforce Education (Rep. Robinson/Sen. Diaz)
• Authorizes school district career centers to offer an AAS or ASN degree program in nursing, but only to graduates of a licensed practical nursing program offered at that same career center.
HB 725 passed out Education Committee, added to 2nd reading.
SB 418 passed 6-1 in Education Committee, now in Appropriations Education Subcommittee.
HB 953: Charter Schools (Rep. McClain )
• Authorizes state universities & Florida College System institutions to sponsor charter schools;
• Revises reporting & accountability requirements; provides for funding;
• Authorizes career & professional academy to be offered by charter school.
HB 953 passed out of PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee and the Appropriations Committee. Now in Education Committee.
HB 187: Postsecondary Education for Secondary Students (Rep. Zika)
• Provides reporting requirements for postsecondary institutions;
• Revises provisions relating to dual enrollment programs;
• Renames collegiate high school programs as early college acceleration programs;
• Revises requirements for such programs, provides free instructional materials to certain DE students
HB 187 reported out of Appropriations. CS Filed. Now in Education.
SB 1246: Dual Enrollment (Sen. Stargel)
• Students eligible for dual enrollment programs include students who are enrolled in home education programs;
• Prohibiting district school boards and Florida College System institutions from denying students who have met eligibility requirements from participating in dual enrollment except under specified circumstances;
• Providing that certain independent colleges and universities are eligible for inclusion in the dual enrollment and early admission programs;
• Establishing the Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program, etc.
SB 1246 favorable out of Education on 01/21/20. Now in Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.
SB 132/HB 55: Sunshine Scholarship Program Establishing the Sunshine Scholarship Program (Sen. Braynon/Rep. Jones
• Requires the Department of Education to administer the program;
• Requires certain financial aid to be credited to a student’s tuition and fees before the award of a Sunshine Scholarship;
• Requires a student to repay the scholarship amount under certain circumstances, etc.
SB 132 favorable out of Education on 01/21/20. Now in Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.
HB 55 favorable from Higher Education & Career Readiness Subcommittee on 01/22/20. Now in Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
SB 774/HB 7081: Public Records and Meetings/Applicant for President/State University or Florida College System Institution
(Sen. Diaz/Rep. Latvala)
• Providing an exemption from public records requirements for any personal identifying information of an applicant for president of a state university or Florida College System institution;
• Providing an exemption from public meeting requirements for any meeting held for the purpose of identifying or vetting applicants for president of a state university or Florida College System institution and for any portion of a meeting held for the purpose of establishing qualifications of, or any compensation framework to be offered to, such potential applicants which would disclose personal identifying information of an applicant or potential applicant; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemptions; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
SB 774 passed through the Education Committee and now in Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee.
HB 7081 (formerly SAC4) referred to Education Committee.
FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA….
WEEKLY ROUNDUP: DREAD AND RELIEF AS HALFTIME NEARS
By Dara Kam
Recap and analysis of the week in state government and politics
TALLAHASSEE --- Midpoints can carry a split sensation of dread and relief.
And Capitol insiders aren’t immune to those emotions, as the halfway mark of the 2020 legislative session nears.
With just five more weeks until the annual 60-day spectacle ends, the heat is on for lawmakers and lobbyists to secure passage of priority legislation and to ensure the demise of that which they abhor.
Eclipsing all other issues is the Florida budget, with a nearly $1.5 billion gap between the House and Senate state spending plans. Horse-trading between the two chambers will begin in earnest after the chambers pass their plans next week.
But the budget isn’t the only sticking point as Wednesday’s halfway point approaches.
Still up in the air is an issue at the top of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wish list: a controversial proposal that would require all employers to verify the immigration status of workers. The E-Verify measure has also become a priority for the Republican Party of Florida, thanks to state Sen. Joe Gruters, who doubles as the GOP state party chief.
The House and Senate remain divided about whether to take the Office of Energy away from Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the lone statewide-elected Democrat. The House is pushing the move --- which Fried calls a political “power grab” ---and apparently also is miffed that Fried hasn’t removed her visage from stickers on gas pumps.
And the two sides are split on a slew of health-care issues, including whether to permanently eliminate Medicaid retroactive eligibility for seniors and people with disabilities and how to deal with perpetual financial troubles at the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
ABORTION FOES HEADED FOR SUCCESS
Despite differences in other areas, the House and Senate are in lockstep on one of this year’s most controversial proposals: a bill that would require parental consent before minors could have abortions.
In a major victory for abortion opponents, the Senate on Thursday passed the proposal in a 23-17 vote that teed up the issue for the House, which is almost certain to pass it.
DeSantis used part of his State of the State address last month to urge lawmakers to send a parental-notification requirement to his desk.
The Senate shied away from the politically divisive issue in the past, but Senate President Bill Galvano signaled before this year’s legislative session that he supported requiring parental consent. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, moved quickly through committees, powered by Republican majorities.
It passed Thursday along straight party lines.
At each step in the legislative process, the measure sparked debate about whether lawmakers should place additional restrictions on abortions and the role of parents in helping teens decide whether to end pregnancies.
Republican supporters pointed to what they described as life-changing decisions about having abortions and said parents need to be involved.
“There are myriad reasons why this is a good policy initiative here in the state of Florida, and I think it’s genuinely to empower families to make decisions together on such an important subject,” Galvano, R-Bradenton, told reporters after the vote.
Democrats, however, said the bill would give parents veto power over decisions by teens about whether to have abortions.
“I don’t believe that the state of Florida should be forcing children to have children,” Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, said.
The Florida Supreme Court in 1989 struck down a parental-consent law, finding that it violated a right to privacy in the state Constitution. Democrats and Republicans disagreed Thursday about whether the new measure would be found constitutional as it faces what are widely viewed as inevitable legal challenges. A wildcard in the debate is that the Supreme Court has a new conservative majority.
LET THE HORSE-TRADING BEGIN
With budget proposals that offer pay increases for state workers and elevate funding for the environment, House and Senate appropriations committees Wednesday unanimously backed record-setting spending plans.
Support for the proposals came despite concerns about issues such as using affordable-housing dollars to cover other programs and shifting the state Office of Energy away from Fried.
The House Appropriations Committee vote came with a few technical changes to the House’s $91.37 billion proposal (HB 5001) and accompanying bills, while the Senate Appropriations Committee quickly approved 69 amendments that shifted spending within the Senate’s $92.83 billion proposal (SB 2500).
House Appropriations Chairman Travis Cummings, R-Fleming Island, called the unanimous support from his committee “refreshing,” while he acknowledged comments from members of both parties about issues such as pay for corrections officers and teachers.
“I do think we have some work to do,” Cummings said. “Clearly there's some differences from the Senate budget, although there's a lot of similarities as well. And so, I feel we have some obvious work to do in conference (negotiations).”
The full House and Senate are now ready to vote on their budget proposals for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which starts July 1. After those votes, the chambers will need to hammer out differences before the scheduled March 13 end of the legislative session.
Among key issues during the negotiations will be the House’s desire to use affordable-housing money for other parts of the budget; a disagreement about how much money to spend on the Florida Forever land-preservation program; differences on pay raises for state employees; and a House push to eliminate the tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida.
AT ODDS OVER E-VERIFY
A politically charged immigration bill is poised to get a makeover that sponsors hope will align the measure with the position backed by DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida.
The governor and the state party, led by Gruters, are pushing a mandate for public and private employers to use E-Verify, a program that checks the legal eligibility of new workers.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday will give a first vetting to a proposal by Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, that would require private and public employers to use the federal E-Verify system. Lee’s proposal (SB 664) is the strictest E-Verify proposal that has been filed.
The E-Verify proposal is the most contentious immigration issue facing lawmakers this legislative session, as they head into the 2020 election cycle where President Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket.
Attempts to impose a mandate on all employers have long divided Florida Republicans. While E-Verify is popular among GOP base voters, it is being fiercely opposed by the state’s agriculture, tourism and construction industries, which include major Republican donors.
Galvano on Thursday said Senate Judiciary Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, has been working with Lee and others involved in the issue to see if the Senate can “reach a balance to allay some of the concerns that myself and others have had in this chamber and see if we can get somewhere with it.”
The House version of the bill has not been heard in committees. House Speaker José Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said Wednesday he still has concerns about it.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The Florida Senate, along party lines, passed a measure that would require minors to have parental consent to obtain abortions, setting up an all-but-certain favorable vote from the House.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Republicans are threatened. (They) had near-complete power for almost two decades. Now a Democratic woman gets elected statewide and the old boys club cannot stand for it.” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, speaking about a push by the House to move the Office of Energy from her administration to that of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Capitol Perceptions is compiled weekly during the Florida Legislative Session and distributed to AFC members.
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