Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Don’t count out Surgeon General John Armstrong quite yet.
Senate President Andy Gardiner said he is still debating whether the Senate will consider Armstrong’s confirmation. Gardiner said if the Senate were to take up Armstrong’s confirmation, it could come up on Thursday.
But, Gardiner said, that’s still a big if.
“I’m not sure we’re there yet,” said Gardiner. “We are not whipping. For me, it’s more of a procedural (question). If we bring him up, what’s the sense of the Senate.”
The Senate Ethics and Elections committee did not take up Armstrong’s confirmation. The committee postponed the hearing several times. Naples Republican Sen. Garrett Richter, the committee’s chairman, said at the time that Armstrong’s confirmation was postponed because members still had questions.
Armstrong’s confirmation has been an uphill battle. His leadership has been criticized, and lawmakers have questioned the state’s growing rate of HIV/AIDs and the slow implementation of the state’s medical marijuana law.
The Senate did not confirm Armstrong during the 2015 legislative session. If it fails to confirm Armstrong this year, the state’s top doctor will be out of a job.
