Saturday, January 28, 2012

Source: Weekly Legislative Update - 27 January FGCU

The big news from week three of Session is the House proposed budget, offering changes to PECO funding sources to provide $370M this year for capital projects instead of the zero dollars expected.

The House Higher Education Committee introduced their budget conforming bill (HB 5201) creating the Florida Virtual Campus and setting up a degree completion pilot program geared to adult online learners. It also: establishes a higher surcharge for excess hours; provides the BOG with increased authority to transfer unused funds; limits Boards of Trustees transfer authority to $1m; makes changes to financial aid and tuition assistance programs; tightens reporting requirements for certain minority scholarship programs and enforcement of loan repayments.

The Senate Pre-K-12 Committee passed SB 1366 "Economic Security Act" aimed at improving information to students and parents about employment opportunities for the different degree majors to better prepare middle school students for STEM degrees. It establishes a partnership between the Department of Economic Opportunity, state Colleges and Universities and DOE to develop a database on graduates that will comprise the report provided to students. It also: provides for priority enrollment for university students returning after being employed in a STEM field; authorizes universities to use a portion of the tuition differential fee for financial aid for technology students, and creates performance funding for universities most successful in placing their technology graduates in Florida jobs.

Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee
Passed SB 532, creating consistent rules for credits awarded for military education.
Held a workshop on the degree completion pilot program to be conducted by UWF, USF, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg state colleges. The pilot will focus on adult students using online classes. Depending on success measured after two years, pilot could be extended to include entire SUS and state College systems. Lengthy debate about the cost of online classes, with Senators strongly of the opinion they must cost less.
OPPAGA report on national review of how higher education has dealt with budget cuts, and comparison of Bright Futures to like programs.

The House Redistricting Committee voted out their three maps redrawing the lines for state Senate, House and Congressional districts. Debate before the full House is scheduled for next week. The Senate passed out their plans last week, setting up the possibility of final maps being sent to the Governor as soon as next Friday.

Other actions:
Senator Thrasher's bill (SB 1560) prohibiting colleges and universities from hiring legislators generated considerable debate in its first committee, but passed narrowly. A bill (SB 922) providing for new benefits to veterans, including priority course registration in colleges and universities passed the Senate and was sent to the House. Senator Bennett's SB 246 died in committee. It dealt with professional services bidding for agency contracts would have allowed for cost estimates to inform the detailed project.

 

Students from FGCU and other universities around the state attended their annual Rally in Tally event in Tallahassee. Twenty students from FGCU had the opportunity to get an up close and personal look of the working of the state legislature and were able to have meetings with several legislators. FGCU students were well prepared and demonstrated a great deal of professionalism. We received compliments on the student’s performance from member’s staff.

 

Andrew Romer

Government Relations

Florida Gulf Coast University

Office: 239.590.7410

Cell: 703.300.3272

 

Legislative Update from Representative Aubuchon


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2012 REGULAR SESSION - LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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   January 27, 2012
A MESSAGE FROM GARY 

 

Dear Friends,

 

Tuesday, January 10th, marked the first day of the 114th Regular Session of the Florida Legislature since statehood was granted in 1845. You may be asking yourself why this update is coming in January instead of March. You are not wrong to question the timing. Once every ten years, the Legislature convenes early to undertake redistricting: the redrawing of Florida's political boundaries, to reflect changes in population. This year the Florida Legislature is faced with a number of challenge and during this legislative session, the Florida House of Representatives will focus on policies designed to strengthen our  economy, stimulate private sector economic growth and put Floridians back to work. The road ahead will not be easy, and we will make difficult decisions. But I am confident that we will emerge from Session with solutions that will make Florida a better place to live, work and do business. If you have any questions about the issues you read about here, or if you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office or send an email message to me at the following address:  gary.aubuchon@myfloridahouse.gov Your input is always welcome.

 

Warm regards,

 

 Aubuchon e-signature


 

HOT TOPICS

 

 

Pursuant to the Florida Constitution, the only bill the legislature is required to enact during its annual session is a balanced state budget. In difficult economic times, we must carefully examine our spending priorities to ensure we are responsibly funding the primary, core functions of government. The revenue shortfalls over the last six years are both profound and historic and this year we are facing another projected shortfall of nearly $2 Billion. Funding cuts are never easy, however, the legislature is bound by the state constitution to enact a balanced budget. Unlike the federal government, we cannot spend money we do not have. In preparing the state budget, the Florida House of Representatives will adhere to several principles established by Speaker Dean Cannon, including:

  • Not raising taxes or fees, and providing tax relief to foster economic recovery. Prioritizing the delivery of services to people (education, health care, and public safety) over the purchase of things (transportation, general government, and the environment).
  • Prioritizing K-12 education, in line with the recommendations from Governor Scott. We have funded K-12 with an allocation exceeding $1 billion in new state funding to address the shortfalls in K-12 education and provide an increase in per student funding of 2.27 percent.
  • Providing sufficient reserves to weather fiscal forecast fluctuations and preserve our bond ratings. 

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will have the opportunity to help craft the final state budget. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Florida House to develop a fiscally prudent budget for the State of Florida.

REAL LIFE, REAL HELP

 

Ted Sottong, the President of Studio+ Architecture, contacted our local office for help with his firm's licensure application with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Ted had been trying unsuccessfully to get his firm licensed so that he could begin taking clients and earning an income. A minor error in the paperwork led to gridlock in a bureaucratic process. Our office was able to intercede and expedite the licensure process for Ted, who is now back at work in his local firm. If you experience difficulty with a state agency, please reach out to our local office in Cape Coral. My staff stands ready to assist you.  




Message From Executive Director, Juhan Mixon Ed.D

Message From Executive Director, Juhan Mixon Ed.D: There is no doubt that the House and Senate are working to finish on time with a budget and reapportionment finished. This week, the House released their preliminary budget which includes the $1 billion for education as requested by Gov. Scott. It is also a possibility that next week will be the last week for committee meetings, and therefore all bills in committee must pass to be heard on the floor or they will die. Read more: http://www.fasa.net/Message-From-Executive-Director.cfm

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Advocacy Update: FSCA Needs Your Help


FSCA’S BIG MOVE:
STEP 2

What an exciting time and week for the Florida School Counselors and the Florida School Counselor Association!
Our companion bills in the Florida Senate and House have been filed (SB1654 and HB1317 respectively). Our legislative champions are Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice) and Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach). Our advocacy consultant has been meeting with other legislative members as well and many are very interested in the issues surrounding school counselors.
Sen. Detert has named this bill the “Student Failure Prevention Act” and is very excited about the positive changes it will have on the profession, and more importantly, on the students that the certified school counselors work with every day. Our excellent bill sponsor in the House is Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach) who is very involved in K-12 education and has demonstrates that she “gets” us.
As of today, HB 1317 has been referred to three committees for legislative hearings and we are working on having it placed on the agenda for its first committee stop in the K-20 Competitiveness Subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Eric Fresen (R-Miami). For clarification, it is a good sign that HB 1317 has only three committees of reference.
FSCA is still waiting for committee references in the Senate and expect that will happen any time now.
To recap, the drafts reflect maximum ratios of certified school counselors per number of students overall and at each level and states that no school should have less than one full-time certified school counselor. It also outlines specific job responsibilities and more importantly, the responsibilities that should not be assigned to school counselors (like testing management/monitoring, bus duty, lunchroom monitoring, and administrative substitution.) Finally, the bill reflects the name change “certified school counselors” as the correct title of your profession.
Now is the time to get involved in making our bill a reality. In this case, you can stand up for students by standing up for the profession and making sure that All students get the benefits of professional school counseling. You can:
Write a note, email or call our bill sponsors and thank them for their willingness to take on these issues and work with us to improve the lives of our children.
Senator Nancy Detert
detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
District Office:
417 Commercial Court
Suite D
Venice, FL 34292
(941) 480-3547
Senate VOIP: 42300
FAX (941) 480-3549
Toll Free:
1-866-247-4076
Tallahassee Office:
318 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
(850) 487-5081
Senate VOIP: 5081
Legislative Assistants:
Charlie Anderson, Rita Faulkner and GeeDee Kerr
Capitol Office
313 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: (850) 488-6920
District Office
905 South 8th Street
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034-3706
Phone: (904) 491-3664
OR
945 N. Temple Avenue
Starke, FL 32091-2110
Phone: (904) 966-6215
Legislative Assistant:
Larry Williams
District Secretary:
Marianne Marshall Alexis Zink
Reach out to your own legislators and those in surrounding areas who represent your school district and inform them and their staff of your efforts, and ask for their support of these bills. It would be great if they would also consider signing on as a co-sponsor of these bills. To find your legislators go to the House ore Senate websites.
To track the bills you can log onto http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/MyHouse/login.aspx and http://www.flsenate.gov/login/ to get updates about the bill’s progress.
Want to do and know more…
Watch this space for other things you can do, developing talking points, actions in districts, gathering data and evidence, participating in our statewide video support, and more.
Remember, membership in FSCA helps, action to connect with policy makers and legislators also helps. We will continue to keep you updated as we progress through the next several weeks.

Sample to Sponsor
As a member of the Florida School Counselor Association and someone who cares about student success, I want to thank you for joining us and sponsoring HB 1317. We stand ready to support and assist your efforts in all ways that we can.

Thanks for standing up for student success by helping each and every student benefit from school counseling programs.

To Legislators
Dear,
I am a member of the Florida School Counselor Association and a Professional School Counselor. I stand for student success and school counselors are critical to that success. I am seeking your support for HB 1317 and SB 1654 which will modernize how school counselors are employed in schools and require that schools and districts make good use of the talents and training of school counselors.
The American School Counselor Association, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Education Trust and many other states and education groups have told us that reduced school counselor ratios are critical to student success and to their career and post-secondary attainment. Ratios, coupled with targeted tasks and accountability, will help Florida’s students and economic future reach the success that our state and citizens deserve.
In face, I believe this bill is so important that I am asking that you step forward as a co-sponsor to show your support of student success. Please contact me with any questions or ways I can help to support the successful passage of these bills.
Sincerely,
Search the FSCA and ASCA Websites

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