Friday, July 23, 2010

Legislation and Advocacy Update

 

TEACHERS FILE SUIT TO BLOCK CLASS SIZE AMENDMENT

 

The Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit in circuit court this morning to keep the constitutional amendment modifying class size restrictions off the November ballot.

 

If approved by 60% of the voters, the amendment would significantly lower operating costs by allowing for school averages and variances in individual classrooms, rather than the absolute limits that are currently in the state’s Constitution. However, FEA argues that the amendment essentially conceals what the union sees as a failure of the Legislature to adequately fund education.

 

Meyers, Brooks, Demma & Blohm: http://www.meyerbrookslaw.com/documents/FEA%20vs%20DOS/Complaint_-_Filed_7-23-10.pdf (PDF)

 

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FINALE FOR FINALS?

 

As Florida gears up for end-of-course examinations, the nation’s premiere private university has decided to more or less eliminate them. Beginning this fall, Harvard University will not schedule final examination slots unless specifically petitioned to do so by the instructor. The use of final examinations at Harvard has declined to the point that during the spring term, only 259 of its 1,137 undergraduate-level courses scheduled finals.

 

Harvard Magazine: http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/07/bye-bye-blue-books (Web page)

 

Monday, July 19, 2010

Legislation/Advocacy Update

On the eve of tomorrow’s opening of a special four-day session of the Florida Legislature, it seems that most bill are more or less related to responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, which was the session’s “sole and exclusive” purpose. The only intended bill of the special session is to consider placing before the voters a Constitutional amendment banning oil drilling in Florida waters. It is generally expected that the bill will fail on the House floor in party line vote, since Legislative leaders have criticized the Governor for calling the session in the first place.

 

Miami Herald: How House Republicans plan to vote on oil drilling ban (Web page)

 

In addition, there are several bills that include a “whereas” that mention the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, but which otherwise might not be regarded as pertaining directly to the session’s stated purpose. For example, several immigration bills, a bill to eliminate the state’s corporate income tax, and a bill to eliminate the health insurance subsidy for FRS retirees have all been introduced as responses to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Bills using this maneuver may affect public schools in Florida directly, or may affect them indirectly due to major changes in the state revenue and budgeting structure.

 

In general, the session is unlikely to accomplish much, since those items the Governor most desires are the things the Legislature is least eager to pass, and those things the Legislature supports are those the Governor is most likely to veto. In a recent message, House Speaker Larry Cretul (R-Ocala) advised representatives that “you can expect your stay to be very short next week." If anything does actually happen this week, however, it may have some effect on these enduring policy issues.

 

No Senate bills have been introduced. Here’s a quick overview of the House bills:

 

HB 1C Immigration (Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa)

This bill would establish numerous methods of controlling illegal immigration, preventing employment of illegal immigrants, and providing for citizenship determination of people who are arrested.

 

HB 3C Eligibility for Public Benefits (Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa)

This bill would require all state agencies to verify the lawful presence in the United States of any natural person 18 years of age or older who has applied for state public benefits.

 

HB 5C Employment Policy of the State (Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa)

This bill would prevent public employment of any alien unlawfully present in the United States.

 

HJR 7C Prohibition of Oil and Natural Gas Exploration, Drilling, Extraction, and Production in Coastal Waters (Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg & Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota)

This bill would propose a constitutional amendment to prohibit oil and natural gas exploration, drilling, extraction, and production in the coastal waters of Florida.

 

HM 9C Supporting the Marketing of Florida Seafood (Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg)

This bill would urge the U.S. Congress to support marketing of Florida seafood.

 

HR 11C Governor Charlie Crist (Sandra Adams, R-Oviedo)

This bill would express censure of Governor for convening the Legislature for an “unnecessary and unwarranted” special session.

 

HB13C Corporate Income Tax (Tom Grady, R-Naples)
This bill would repeal Florida’s corporate income tax.

 

HB15C Health Insurance Subsidies (Tom Grady, R-Naples)

This bill would eliminated the health insurance subsidy for FRS retirees.

 

HB17C Liability for Pollution (Tom Grady, R-Naples)

This bill would eliminate liability limits for damages caused by environmental pollution.

 

HB 19C Tax on Sales, Use, and Other Transactions (Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee)

This bill would eliminate the sales tax exemption on bottled water.

 

HJR 21C Renewable and Clean Energy (Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee)

This resolution would “focus” Florida’s energy policies on establishing energy generation systems that do not rely on fossil fuels.

 

HB 23C Appropriations (Charles Chestnut, D-Gainesville)

This bill would provide state funding for providing health care services to indigent patients through Shands HealthCare System, and allow those state funds to be used as a match for additional federal funds. This bill would essentially reverse the Governor’s unexpected veto of an allocation passed during the regular session last spring.

 

HCR 25C State-owned Buildings (Dwight Bullard, D-Miami)

This resolution would direct OPPAGA to conduct a feasibility study of installing solar panels on all state-owned buildings.

 

HB 27C Energy Efficiency (Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee)

This bill would provide consumer rebates for specified solar energy systems.

 

HB 29C Energy Efficiency (Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee)

This bill would electric utilities to collect monthly systems charge from residential, commercial, & industrial customers. The charges would be placed into a trust fund to pay rebates to consumers who install solar energy systems.

 

HB 31C Sustainable and Renewable Energy Policy Trust Fund (Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee)

This bill would create the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Policy Trust Fund and a state office to administer solar energy rebates.

 

HB 33C Oil Spill Mitigation Clearing Trust Fund (Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach)

This bill would create a state Oil Spill Mitigation Clearing Trust Fund to facilitate administration of damages and claims related to oil spills. 

 

HB 35C Oil Spills Affecting Florida Coastal Areas (Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach)

This bill would require that any costs incurred by the special session of the Legislature called because of an oil spill would be paid by the entity that caused the oil spill.

 

HJR 37C Oil Exploration, Drilling, Extraction, and Production Prohibited in State Waters (Juan Zapata, R-Miami)

This resolution would proposes a Constitutional amendment that would prohibit exploration, drilling, extraction, and production of oil in and beneath state waters.

 

Complete text of each bill is available at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/

 

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Healthy Media for Youth Act: A Step in the Right Direction | Rosalind Wiseman

Healthy Media for Youth Act: A Step in the Right Direction | Rosalind Wiseman: "Our kids need our help to battle the distorted messages of sex, beauty, and body image they are faced with everyday.Fighting to pass the Healthy Media for Youth Act is just one small step we can all collectively take in the right direction."

Visit this site now for a sample letter to your Congressperson.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Legislative Alert

Now is the time to tell the Senate to put our children first. The House of Representatives approved an emergency spending bill that included $10 billion to save educator jobs and $5 billion for Pell Grants. It is now up to the Senate to do its part and approve the same level of assistance when it returns to Washington, D.C., this week.

 

It's crunch time. Contact your senator today.

 

Due to unprecedented cuts, school districts across the country are contemplating hundreds of thousands of layoffs, larger class sizes, the elimination of summer school, shortened school days and weeks, and fewer programs to help the students who need it most. Access to higher education for disadvantaged students through Pell Grants is also being compromised due to a shortfall in funding.

 

Contact your senator today and urge him or her to put our children first.

 

Our children deserve better. Help them now by contacting your senator.

 

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

House Bill 25

The Department of Education has issued the following memorandum regarding the DPS:2010-122 2010 Legislation: House Bill 25.  The memorandum may be viewed at:

 

 

   http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5821/dps-2010-122.pdf