Peter Schorsch
Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2019 Legislative Session
The Last 24
Good Tuesday evening. We interrupt the regularly scheduled introduction of “Last Call” to announce the return of TallyMadness — an online voting competition to determine who is the “best” lobbyist in Florida.
And yes, “best” is of course subjective.
How it works: Like college basketball fans who fill out their brackets as part of “March Madness,” participants in The Process vote on a series of bracketed matchups pitting Florida’s top lobbyists against each other.
How did we decide who made the Big Dance? A select, anonymous committee ‘seeded’ the lobbyists, 1 through 64.
You the voters will pick the winner of each matchup, with first-round voting beginning today and lasting through 11:59 p.m. March 31.
To nominate a lobbyist or serve on the select committee, email [email protected].
Those who visit the website TallyMadness.com are asked to email any suggestions they have to improve the site — and later-round voting — to also email [email protected].
… Let the TallyMadness begin. Now, back to your nightly rundown.
Hands off our genes: A House panel OK’d a genetic privacy bill against the prying eyes of life insurance companies.
Hands on the wheel: A bill that would make texting while driving a primary offense in Florida cleared its first committee.
Curtailing the Counsel: Legislation setting term limits for the state’s Public Counsel advanced in the Senate.
Banning the bans: Legislation to prevent local government from outlawing plastic straws moved forward in the House.
Deregulate this: A bill eliminating licensing of such professions as talent agents and interior designers won approval from a House committee.
School daze: House budget chair Travis Cummings sees education funding as the major budget skirmish this year.
Quote of the Day
“It is not the state’s responsibility that if you go into a salon, you get a great experience.” — Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, speaking on his bill to deregulate hair braiders and hair wrappers, among other jobs.
Your Metz Husband Daughton-sponsored question of the day is:
Which state Senators tied in the 1992 Florida Senate President’s race and agreed to each serve a one-year term?
As always, click here to tweet your answer to @MHDFirm. The first person with the correct answer will get a shout-out in tomorrow’s 60 Days!
Yesterday, we asked: What Florida county is surrounded by rivers and is not contiguous to another Florida county?
Answer: “Hamilton County, which has Georgia as its northern boundary is separated from the rest of Florida by the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers.”
Congrats to Kyle Simon (@KyleSimon), first to tweet the correct answer!
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
Florida House Appropriations Chair Cummings spoke to us recently about the spending plan he’ll consider in committee Wednesday. That story is here. For today’s “3Q,” we saved some of the color from our interview with Cummings because he discussed working with his Senate counterpart and the Session tone under Speaker José Oliva. (As usual, responses were edited for clarity and brevity.)
FP: What influence has Speaker Oliva had on the budget?
Cummings: I think one of our goals was to come out with a — not to use an awkward political phrase — fiscally responsible budget. We accomplished that. Other than that, Oliva doesn’t have any budget priorities. He really doesn’t. That’s not posturing of me trying to not disclose to the Senate what he cares about. He really doesn’t, which is impressive. There are freshman or sophomore members — Democrat or Republican — who have more stuff in the budget than he does.
He cares about infrastructure. He likes it that we’re not raiding the transportation trust and thinks government has a true need there. He’s been very good to law enforcement and first responders and various agencies. He’s obviously committed to the environment. So, I’m not saying he doesn’t have any priorities. He just thinks that as a state we spend too much with the budget, and we need to have some control — some checks and balances in place to make sure we’re leaving the fiscal health we have today behind to the future Legislatures.
FP: Is Senate Appropriations Chair Rob Bradley still your roommate?
Cummings: Yes. But I see him more at the Capitol. We kind of come and go and sleep there.
FP: How do you balance your friendship with Bradley and your roles as budget chiefs?
Cummings: He knows he’s a Senator. I’m a House member. I’m loyal to the House. I’m loyal to the Speaker. Same with Bradley in the Senate. I think just having a friendship helps. Now, there’s going to be some differences, but I think it does make it easier to work through when you’ve got someone who you know very well. I think he’s fair and balanced and I am too.
Lobby Up
Patients have already started taking home full-flower medical marijuana from dispensaries, but that wasn’t the only change included in the no-smoke repeal.
In addition to lifting the smoking ban for medical marijuana, the new law allows employees of ‘teaching’ nursing homes to transport and administer medical marijuana to multiple patients.
It also allows teaching nursing homes to participate in research programs that measure the efficacy of medical marijuana use for the treatment of chronic conditions related to aging.
The change is a big one. Under the old law, a nursing home would have had to employ a separate person for each medical marijuana patient they house or force the patients to rely on family members to bring them their supply.
Everyone can rattle off at least a few teaching hospitals in the Sunshine State, but that’s not the case with teaching nursing homes. In fact, Morse Life, based in Palm Beach County, runs the only statutory teaching nursing home in the state.
Getting the provision into the repeal bill took some help. Larry Overton, Joel Overton and James Card of Larry Overton and Associates took point, but they got a much-needed assist from the team at Floridian Partners.
Former DOH General Counsel Nichole Geary, who joined Floridian Partners last year, was particularly helpful in pushing for the change, we’re told.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
Rep. Charlie Stone, Attorney General Ashley Moody and state Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz are expected to be among the speakers during the Florida Association of Counties legislative day. That’s at 8 a.m., Challenger Learning Center, 200 South Duval St., Tallahassee.
Sen. Bobby Powell, Florida League of Mayors President Matt Surrency and other mayors will hold a news conference to discuss issues in the Legislative Session. That’s at 8:30 a.m., 4th-floor Rotunda.
Aides to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will meet to discuss issues in advance of an April 2 Cabinet meeting. That’s at 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room.
The House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider an $89.9 billion budget proposal for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The House spending plan is smaller than a $91.3 billion proposal offered by DeSantis. That’s at 9 a.m., 212 Knott Building.
The Senate will hold a floor Session and could approve a measure that seeks to prevent the Florida Constitution Revision Commission from “bundling” multiple issues into single constitutional amendments. That’s at 10 a.m., Senate Chamber.
The Florida State Parks Foundation will hold a news conference to “urge the Legislature to fully fund DeSantis’ $54 million request for our award-winning state parks system and $100 million for Florida Forever.” That’s at 10:30 a.m., Florida Press Center, 336 E. College Ave., Tallahassee.
Erik Eikenberg, chief executive officer of the Everglades Foundation, is scheduled to speak to the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches. That’s at noon, Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center-Palm Beach Airport, 1301 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach.
The Florida Latinx Hispanic-American Union, a recently established nonprofit under the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will hold a news conference on HB 457 and SB 1234, extending state financial aid to students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and temporary protected status (TPS). That’s at 12:30 p.m., 4th-floor Rotunda.
Committees of the state university system’s Board of Governors will meet in advance of a full board meeting Thursday. Meetings start at 1 p.m., Florida A&M University, Tallahassee.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will take up a proposed $90.3 billion budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. After the committee approves, the proposed budget will go to the full Senate. House and Senate leaders will later negotiate a final spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. That’s at 1 p.m., 412 Knott Building.
The House will hold a floor Session and take up numerous bills, including a proposal that would seek to provide more information to patients about issues such as hospital infection rates and readmission rates. That’s at 3 p.m., House Chamber.
The Senate Special Order Calendar Group will set a special-order calendar, which lists bills that will be heard on the Senate floor. That’s 15 minutes after the Appropriations Committee meeting, 401 Senate Office Building.
The Catholic Bishops of Florida will hold the annual Red Mass, a service that often is attended by lawmakers and other state leaders. That’s at 6 p.m., Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, 900 West Tennessee St., Tallahassee.
