Florida Agricultural Exports Reached Record $4.2 Billion In 2014Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) announced that Florida exported a record total of $4.2 billion in agricultural commodities last year to 159 countries and territories. This marks the third year in a row Florida has exported over $4 billion dollars in “Fresh from Florida” agricultural commodities like fruits and vegetables. Our farmers not only grow produce, they grow our economy. According to DACS, the $4.2 billion in agricultural exports support 109,000 Florida jobs and has a total economic impact of more than $13 billion. I believe this is great news for all Floridians and I will continue to work with my colleagues to keep Florida a national leader in agricultural and economic growth. _____________ House Passes Bills to Increase Public SafetyThe House passed House Bill 465,
which I believe will further crack down on human trafficking in our state. The greatest driver of human trafficking in Florida is prostitution. This bill aims to reduce prostitution by increasing the criminal penalties for soliciting, inducing, enticing, or procuring another to commit prostitution. The bill would make a first offense a first degree misdemeanor, a second offense a third degree felony, and a third, or subsequent, offense a second degree felony. In addition, the bill requires a person convicted of solicitation to perform 100 hours of community service, and attend an educational program on the negative effects of prostitution and human trafficking. The bill creates a minimum mandatory jail sentence of 10-days for repeat offenders. Combating human trafficking is a long-term, multifaceted fight that must be approached from several different angles. This bill aims to curb the
demand for the trafficked victims by increasing the severity of the penalty for the crime committed. In my view, this bill puts these criminals on notice that Florida has zero tolerance for those who support or promote human trafficking. The House also passed
House Bill 717, which takes important steps to further protect victims of a crime from unwanted contact with the alleged perpetrator. Arrested defendants can be released from jail while they await disposition of their criminal charges, as known as pretrial release. During this time, the defendant must refrain from any contact of any type with the victim. Current law does not specify what actions are encompassed by the phrase “any contact of any type with the victim.” This bill clarifies that an order of no contact is effective immediately and enforceable for the
duration of the pretrial release or until modified by the court. The bill also provides specific conduct that falls under the term “no contact.” I believe that by providing clarity, this bill will help to protect victims from the accused during the pretrial period. _____________House Passes Land Conservation Bill Florida is well known for its natural beauty, including the millions of acres of land owned by the state and preserved for conservation purposes. The Florida House passed House Bill 7135
this week, which includes an innovative approach to expanding the amount of land preserved for conservation purposes in Florida without increasing the state’s land management costs. The bill also makes the state’s conservation lands database more useful by adding additional conservation lands owned by the federal, state and local governments. By including these additional lands, Floridians and visitors will have access to more information about the location and characteristics of a wide variety of conservation lands in the state. I believe this legislation will preserve even more of our natural beauty and ensure that visitors and residents have the tools they need to identify and enjoy all of the conservation lands in the state. _____________ Mental Health Services in the Criminal Justice System The House passed
House Bill 7113, a bill that focuses on treatment options for mentally ill people in our criminal justice system. Currently, specified courts in Florida provide pretrial or post adjudicatory alternatives for qualifying offenders involved in the criminal justice system. These courts allow offenders to access programs and treatment options that focus on the underlying cause of the offender’s actions, such as mental illness or drugs. This bill allows
counties to create and fund treatment-based mental health court programs and permits a defendant with a mental illness who meets qualifying criteria to participate in a pretrial mental health court program. I believe that helping those with mental illness obtain needed treatment will focus on the ultimate cause of their behavior, with the goal of reducing recidivism. _____________ House Passes Several Bills to Strengthen Florida’s Education SystemThis week, we passed several bills dealing with important issues in education. The House passed House Bill 58,
which requires the Department of Education to administer a statewide educator liability insurance program for public school educators. All full-time instructional personnel are provided this coverage free of charge. Currently, public school educators are immune from personal liability through the doctrine of sovereign immunity. There are also specific statutory protections in place for such educators. However, there is currently not a publicly administered statewide liability insurance program for educators. In an increasingly litigious society, I believe that this program will provide teachers peace of mind and allow them to focus on instructing their students. The House also passed
House Bill 747, a bill that modifies the community service requirement of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The bill clarifies that community service must be done on a volunteer basis and prohibits any student from receiving remuneration or academic credit, except for credit earned through service-learning courses. The bill also establishes accountability requirements for student volunteer work that includes documentation in writing by the student, the student’s parent, and a representative of the organization for which the student volunteered. The number of
community service hours required for each Bright Futures award remains unchanged. I believe it is important that our best and brightest are rewarded for their academic achievement, as well as their involvement in their communities, through programs like the Bright Futures Scholarship. _____________ House Passes Several Health-related BillsPromoting the health and welfare of citizens in our state is of great importance to
the Florida House. Several bills relating to health care were passed by the House this week. House Bill 1055
enhances the ability of the medical professionals serving on child protection teams to help abused and neglected children. The bill increases the qualifications for local and state child protection team medical directors. It also requires these medical directors to participate in the Department of Children and Families’ Critical Incident Rapid Response teams which investigate child deaths. The Florida House is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of children of our state, and I believe this bill takes important steps in achieving that goal. House Bill 437
creates a framework for identifying and appointing guardian advocates, limited guardians and plenary guardians for foster children with special needs when they turn 18 years old so they get needed help with decision-making as they become adults. Helping Floridians with mental health and substance abuse issues was a major priority of the House Children, Families, and Seniors Subcommittee this legislative session. House Bill 79
helps the state gather information about the use of public receiving facilities by creating the Crisis Stabilization Services Utilization Database. I believe this information will help the state better provide these services in the future. Although the pill mill epidemic is considerably mitigated, there is still a problem in our state with prescription drug abuse. House Bill 751
authorizes certain health care practitioners to prescribe emergency opioid antagonists, which have the potential to reverse the life-threatening effects of opioid-related drug overdoses, to patients and caregivers, and authorizes first responders to administer them. Deaths from drug overdose are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Opioid antagonists can be administered in emergency situations to potentially save a life. While I do believe that we have made great progress in our battle against pill mills in this state, there is still more to do. In my view, this bill keeps Florida headed in the right direction and builds on the good work we have already done. I believe patients with terminal conditions should be eligible to access any
available drug that could help their condition. House Bill 269
creates the “Right to Try Act”, providing a way for a patient to access investigational drugs, biological products, and devices directly from willing manufacturers, outside of the FDA approval process. This option is available only for individuals with no other treatment options. In my opinion, this bill will give families more options in these difficult circumstances, and hopefully help these patients have more time with their loved ones while in search for a cure. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in Florida and is a huge financial burden on patients and taxpayers.
House Bill 43
requires the Diabetes Advisory Council, in conjunction with the Department of Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration, and the Department of Management Services, to submit a biennial report on the public health consequences and financial impact of diabetes on our state and the funding and effectiveness of state diabetes programs. They are also required to produce an action plan for reducing and controlling the number of new cases of diabetes.
|