12/17/18

2019 Session: Committee Week 1

The 2019 Legislative Session got off to an official start with the first committee week being held in Tallahassee. Though much of the week consisted of training sessions and orientations for new lawmakers, there were some glimpses of the issues and challenges that lie ahead. That included the enduring warning from chief legislative economic forecaster Amy Baker of “structural imbalances” in the state budget. (In some ways, that’s a fancy way of saying there may not be enough money to pay all the bills.) On the same note, some Senate leaders say they’re okay with the idea of borrowing money to pay for infrastructure needs, including for educational facilities.

Florida House of Representatives

The House didn’t actually meet in committees this week. Instead, new House Speaker Jose Oliva took a page from former House Speaker Richard Corcoran and hosted “Legislator University,” an orientation for new members and a refresher for returning ones.

Things kicked off Tuesday with a mandatory “Ethics in the Legislature” session. General Counsel Adam Tanenbaum covered everything from the obvious — don’t take a bribe — to the more nuanced. One of those tidbits included a suggestion that if a lobbyist gives one of them a bottle of water, they should pay for it. In one quoteworthy lesson, Tanenbaum told members, “You can’t use your office to strike fear” in someone to do or not do something, “as well-meaning as it might be.”

Other modules in the following days included “Introduction to State Budget,” “Introduction to House Rules,” and “Introduction to Bill Drafting.” Higher-level offerings were “Exploring Florida’s Medicaid Program,” “An Overview of Pre K-12 Governance and Performance” and the ever-popular among new members, “Understand Your Office Accounts.”

Florida Senate

The Senate also presented a number of training sessions but held some substantive committee meetings, including an Appropriations hearing — chaired by Rob Bradley — that was well attended by members of the lobbying corps.

That’s where Baker presented the latest version of the long-range financial outlook, the crystal ball of revenues and expenditures for the three most immediate future fiscal years. “In 2006, Florida voters adopted a constitutional amendment that requires the development of a Long-Range Financial Outlook, setting out recommended fiscal strategies … to assist the Legislature in making budget decisions,” according to the Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR).

Bradley, struck by the picture Baker painted of a standing but shaky economy, told his Appropriations Committee colleagues they would need to be “very, very conservative” in drafting the 2019-20 state budget. That’s the kind of verbiage, however, that can strike fear into the hearts of the most jaded appropriations lobbyists. Indeed, Baker said the state needs roughly $6 billion in new money over the next three years just to keep up. That had Bradley adding that even the “base budget” — the minimum needed to provide essential services — shouldn’t be considered “sacrosanct.”

GRay Matters Important Update: Supreme Court Finalists Interviewed

The 11 nominees certified by the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) were interviewed this past week by Governor-elect DeSantis' team. GrayRobinson's own Jason Unger is Chairman of the JNC. Because the Supreme Court will be without a quorum on January 8, we expect that sometime between now and shortly after his inauguration, DeSantis will select three names from among the 11 finalists to replace the three justices who are retiring. We will keep you informed when the appointments occur.

GRay Matters Extra: Bill Galvano Chats with Reporters

With a dearth of subject-matter going on this week, GRay Matters eavesdropped on a ‘gaggle’ that Senate President Bill Galvano had with Capitol Press Corps members at the end of the week. Here are some highlights.

Revisiting Medical Marijuana

“I want to let it play out without an intervention,” Galvano said of a legal challenge to the state law that implements the 2016 constitutional amendment authorizing medicinal cannabis.

A Tallahassee judge struck down limits on the number of marijuana providers that can be permitted by the state, and nullified the requirement that Florida have a vertically-integrated market, meaning the same provider grows, processes and sells its own marijuana. The ruling is now under appeal. Meanwhile, Galvano said he would be “open” to looking at a rewrite of that law.

Restoring Felons' Voting Rights

Governor-elect Ron DeSantis this week said that a constitutional amendment that allows for automatic restoration of the vote to nonviolent ex-cons was not that “automatic.” He told The Palm Beach Post that the amendment should not take effect until “implementing language” is approved by lawmakers and sent to him for approval.

Galvano said that from his perspective, “the voters passed an amendment … by a lot of accounts, there’s no action required” by legislators. He added he does “not want to ‘slow walk’ this amendment, nor do I in any way want to inhibit the will of the people. I believe it can be self-implementing.”

Taking a Pass on Snipes

Galvano explained his decision not to hold an inquiry into the suspension of Broward Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes. Basically, there’s no time. He said Snipes can’t legally withdraw her resignation, which she tried to do after Gov. Rick Scott suspended her via executive order. Scott then tapped former GrayRobinson attorney and Enterprise Florida honcho Pete Antonacci to take over till further notice.

As Galvano sees it, Snipes is officially out of a job on January 4. That’s not long enough to do “an inquiry or investigation” before the Senate can decide to permanently remove her or reinstate her. He stated, “Practically, there’s not (enough) time to address it.”

Dealing with Red Tide, Algal Outbreaks

Galvano said water quality has to be part of any effort to deal with shoring up the state’s infrastructure, including moving more people off septic tanks and onto sanitary sewer systems.

“But we have to be effective, and not just do things to make people feel comfortable and don’t really yield results,” he said. “It’s something the Senate will look at.” Sen. Tom Lee earlier in the week had suggested the state borrow money for big infrastructure building projects, as long as it’s within bonding limits of state law and the Constitution.

Client Spotlight

Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.
Carol Bowen, Vice President of Government Affairs for the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter and Chief Lobbyist for ABC of Florida

My role at ABC entails: My dual roles require me to monitor regulatory efforts at the State and Local government levels and support/oppose initiatives when necessary. I work with our membership to identify areas of necessary legislative change and manage the process for seeing that change through from identifying legislative champions to helping to draft the requested regulatory improvements. I also testify before legislative bodies and work to develop an open line of communication between our industry experts and those who pass policy impacting construction.

How ABC can help you: ABC is the largest Commercial Construction Association in Florida representing General and Specialty Contractors, Associates and Suppliers from the Keys to Jacksonville, Tampa to Pensacola and everywhere in between. So if you are looking to expand your reach in the construction market, ABC can help you. ABC is also the largest single provider of Apprenticeship in the state. So if you are an Employer looking for your next skilled worker, or a craft trainee looking for a job, we can help you connect those dots.

Something you wish people knew about your job or ABC that might not be obvious: It’s more something I wish people would acknowledge about Construction. We are consistently a top five economic driver for Florida. We build your schools, your hospitals and your airports. On a smaller scale, we fix your plumbing, we make sure your air conditioning keeps you comfortable - we touch every part of your day. And while we sometimes are treated like an industry of last resort, we play a critical role in Florida’s economy.

Construction is also one of the last few industries where you can start with nothing, apply yourself, and become skilled in your trade to eventually own your own business someday. There’s something to be said for that I think.

What excites you about going to work each day: I love ABC, our philosophies and our members. They simply want to be given an opportunity to compete for project awards, showcase why they’re the best, and to do it fairly, openly and without unnecessary government hurdles or intrusion. Who can’t get behind that? It’s a privilege to represent them and to wage the battles we do. I am grateful every day that I get to do this.

GRay Matters Video

2019 Session: Commitee Week One

Check out our video series and stay informed throughout the 2019 Session.

The GrayRobinson Team

* Denotes non-attorney professional

www.GRLobby.com

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

301 East Pine Street Suite 1400
Orlando, FL | 32801 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.