Senate Passes Balanced Budget Prioritizing Education and Environment On Wednesday, the Florida Senate voted 40-0 to pass Senate Bill 2500, the General Appropriations Bill, which is the Senate's proposed budget for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 for the State of Florida. Senate Bill 2500 increases funding for education by $1.1 billion, a 4.71 percent increase in total funds per student. The budget also increases the total state investment in Hurricane Michael Recovery to more than $1.8 billion and invests $656 million toward protecting the environment and improving water quality. The House and Senate will hold conference meetings in the coming weeks to negotiate differences between the two chambers' proposals. Once they have reached consensus, the two chambers will vote to pass the final budget and send it to the Governor for signature. Governor DeSantis Creates Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis created a Statewide Task Force on Opioid Drug Abuse and appointed Attorney General Ashley Moody as Chair. The Task Force will develop a statewide strategy and identify best practices to combat the opioid epidemic through education, treatment, prevention, recovery and law enforcement. Governor DeSantis also announced that Florida has been awarded $26 million in additional federal funding for Florida’s State Opioid Response Project. This project is designed to address the opioid crisis by reducing opioid deaths, preventing opioid abuse among our young people, and increasing recovery services and access to treatment. Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Moves Forward Senate Bill 576, sponsored by Senator Keith Perry, was approved unanimously by the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. The measure establishes a 10-day sales tax holiday beginning Friday, August 2, 2019, and ending Saturday, August 11, 2019. During the holiday, certain purchases of clothing, school supplies and personal computers are exempt from the state sales tax and county discretionary sales surtaxes. Next, the bill will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Resolution to Oppose Drilling Off Florida's Coast Passes First Committee Stop The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee passed Senate Resolution 1820, which supports an extension on the current moratorium for offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. This is important not only for our environment, but also for our military operations. Florida's 20 major military installations conduct missions and training off our shorelines, and drilling there would force operations to discontinue or move to another region. This week, the resolution will he considered by the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs and Space Committee. Resolutions are not subject to action by the Governor and do not have the effect of law. Senate Passes Legislation Protecting First Responder Dogs and Horses The Florida Senate passed SB 96 unanimously in session on Wednesday. The bill, Police, Fire, and Search and Rescue Dogs and Police Horses, sponsored by Senator Aaron Bean, creates higher criminal penalties for injuring or killing a dog or horse that is serving as a first responder. The push for harsher penalties comes after Fang, a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office bomb detector and patrol canine, was fatally shot last year while chasing a suspected carjacker. Environment and Natural Resources Committee Approves South Florida Water Management District Board Members The Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee approved seven appointees to the board of the South Florida Water Management District. One of the appointees is our very own City of Marco Island Councilor Charlette Roman. Next, the appointments will be considered by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee and then be considered by the entire Senate during session.
New Protections for Minors' Voter Registration Information Senate Bill 342, sponsored by Senator Tom Lee, passed out of the Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday. The bill creates a public records exemption for the information of minors who preregister to vote. This bill will encourage minors to register to vote by ensuring that their information is not publicly accessible by stalkers, scammers or predators. The bill will now go through the Senate Rules Committee before being considered by the full Senate. Welcome to the Florida Senate The Florida Senate welcomed the following groups to the Capitol:
It was a pleasure to join President Bill Galvano, Minority Leader Audrey Gibson, and Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley in welcoming sisters from the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority to the Capitol! Thank you to Senator Lauren Book and Lauren's Kids for the opportunity to join in on the 42-Hour Walk. This was an opportunity to raise awareness and give a voice to the 42 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse living in the United States today. The Lee County School Board visited my office during their time at the Capitol. I joined House Majority Leader Dane Eagle in speaking with business leaders from Florida's golf industry during Florida Golf Day at the Capitol. Florida is home to more than 1,200 golf courses, and the sport contributes $11 billion to our economy each year. I was joined by an impressive group of young women from PACE Collier. This group of talented girls comes to the Capitol every year and it is always a pleasure to see them! Thank you to Representative Byron Donalds for inviting constituents from Hendry County to spend time with us in the Capitol. The Collier County Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority came by my office to talk about the legislative process. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office any time that I can be of assistance. Kathleen C. Passidomo Senate Majority Leader Naples Office: 3299 East Tamiami Trail LaBelle Office: 25 East Hickpochee Avenue Tallahassee Office: 330 Senate Office Building Not paid for at taxpayer expense. |