Peter Schorsch
Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2018 Legislative Session
The Last 24
Good Monday evening. Committees have stopped meeting in both the House and Senate, meaning a bevy of bills were passed off both floors today. And now, with all budget conflicts “bumped,” it’s left to leadership to bang out the 2018-19 state budget. Sixty Days is not behind any local projects, for the record. Here’s your nightly rundown.
Trimming teachers: The Senate watered down a controversial school safety proposal to exclude most teachers from participating in a program that would allow them to carry guns on campus to fight off active shooters.
Going with gambling: With only one member commenting, the House swiftly passed its omnibus gambling bill for 2018, setting up a possible conference of the two chambers.
Up to the voters: The Legislature has sent a proposal to the November ballot that would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers to raise taxes and fees in the future.
Cool runnings: The Senate unanimously OK’d a bill to ratify a rule requiring assisted living facilities to have backup electrical generators that can help keep buildings cool.
‘Water’ win: The House approved a proposal to create a special district to fund some features of a proposed $3 billion development in Tampa’s Channelside neighborhood.
Gun gab: The Florida Senate is debating a bill imposing restrictions on gun sales ahead of a vote, the first such restrictions in decades.
Military students: The Senate last week unanimously passed a House bill to help cut fees tacked on to college tuition for students who are active duty service members.
Consolidation conundrum: The three independent campuses affiliated with the University of South Florida network could be consolidated if legislation passed by the House becomes law.
No rest: The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) is considering a March 19-May 10 Session, according to a draft schedule sent to commissioners.
Quote of the Day
“We do a lousy job — in my personal opinion — representing working class people, and we should be ashamed of ourselves.” — Tom Lee, a Republican state senator from Hillsborough County and former Senate President (2004-06), during debate on an education proposal he says is unfair to the teachers’ union.
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
In a Monday news release, Americans for Prosperity-Florida hailed the Senate’s vote on HB 7055 “as a win for Florida students and teachers.” The group says the bill “creates more accountability and transparency requirements for government unions and establishes the Hope Scholarship, which allows alternative education options for victims of bullying and harassment across Florida.” AFP-FL state director Chris Hudson explained why his group is involved.
Q: What makes this bill an issue for you?
Hudson: It stands up for the rights of teachers who don’t want their money going to a union they don’t support and provides Florida’s kids with better education options. We commend the Senate for passing this bill, and hope the House send it to the Governor for his signature as soon as possible.
Q: What work did you do to get the bill passed?
Hudson: Our activists have worked tirelessly to engage with citizens and lawmakers about the importance of passing these measures into law. Their hard work every session continues to inspire positive outcomes throughout our legislative process.
Q: What else does that include?
Hudson: Last week, AFP-FL launched a direct mail effort aimed at thanking members of the legislature for supporting (the bill) throughout the committee process. The mailers called on citizens to thank their lawmakers for expanding education freedom options and transparency requirements for government unions.
Also, AFP-FL will score votes on HB 7055 in its current form in their annual Economic Freedom Scorecard. If the bill is amended, the group will adjust scoring accordingly.
Lobby Up
As lawmakers seem headed to conference on a gaming bill this Session, an interest behind what are known as “pre-reveal” games added another lobbyist, registration records show.
David J. Roberts joined Scott Dick and Eliakim Nortelus to lobby for AMOAF, also known as the Amusement Machine Owners Association of Florida.
Language is in play, as is a stand-alone bill by House Republican Scott Plakon, to ban pre-reveal, the slot-machine style entertainment consoles found in bars and taverns, many in northeast Florida.
The games work by “previewing” outcomes as to their winning or losing status. The games pay out on winning plays, although pre-reveal backers say they are for entertainment only and are not gambling.
A Tallahassee-based circuit judge’s decision that they’re illegal slots is under appeal. The Seminole Tribe of Florida, which has exclusive rights to offer slots outside South Florida, is attempting to shut down the games because it believes they violate that exclusivity.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
The state Supreme Court will hear arguments in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by a man who claims he suffered mesothelioma due to asbestos in cigarette filters and other products. That’s at 9 a.m., Florida Supreme Court, 500 South Duval St., Tallahassee.
The Senate will hold a floor session and consider dozens of bills, including SB 1256, which would require law enforcement to have probable cause to search a person’s phone-location records as well as data from microphone-enabled household devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home. That’s at 10 a.m., Senate Chamber, The Capitol.
The House will hold a floor session and is expected to bring up the Senate’s “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act.” That’s at 10:30 a.m., House Chamber, The Capitol.
The Florida State University President’s Advisory Panel on University Namings and Recognitions will hold its final scheduled town hall. The panel is charged with reviewing statue and building namings. That’s at 2 p.m., Florida State University, Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, Tallahassee.
The Senate will place bills on Special Order. That’s 15 minutes after the floor session, 401 Senate Office Building, The Capitol.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo is set to speak to the Western Communities of West Palm Beach Democratic Club. That’s at 7 p.m., Vista Center, 2300 North Jog Road, West Palm Beach.
The House and Senate face a Tuesday budget deadline. The Legislature will then enter a 72-hour cooling off period ahead of each chamber’s budget vote Friday.
