The Florida Billboard - 1/16/2016

FloridaBillboardYour Weekly LegislativeUpdate

Session Special Edition: January 16, 2016Welcome to our special edition of the Florida Billboard, marking the firstweek of the 2016 Regular Legislative Session! Before we get into what went on during a busy week one of session, letstake a quick look back at the major events that occurred during thecommittee weeks leading up to the first day of session.

Recap: Committee Weeks Four free market health care reforms designed to increase access,decrease costs, and improve the quality of health care in Florida passedtheir first committee of reference. These reforms include direct primarycare (HB 37), ambulatory surgical centers (HB 85), hospital Certificate ofNeed repeal (HB 437), and expanding scope of practice for ARNPs andPAs (HB 423). Two education bills designed to increase choice, innovation, andflexibility in order to help meet each individual students needs passedtheir first committee of reference. These bills were HB 189, related tocertifying teachers for STEM courses, and HB 4013, related to blendedlearning. Two broad-based tax cut bills which would help small businesses andpromote economic growth in the state passed their first two committeesof reference. These bills will cut the commercial lease sales tax rate (SB116) and increase the corporate income tax exemption, which decreaseshow much businesses would have to pay (SB 76).

AFP-Florida 2016 Priorities

This Week in Session The four health care reform bills mentioned above (HB 37, HB 85, HB423, and HB 437) all passed their second committee of reference. Onemore committee hearing for each of these bills, and then theyll be readyto be heard by the entire House of Representatives! The two education bills referenced above (HB 189 and HB 4013), werealso heard in their second committees of reference and passed withflying colors. A bill promoting transparency for special districts, a unique type of localgovernment that is neither a city nor county (think sports authorities,hospital districts, etc.) passed its first committee this week. The bill, HB745, would require these districts to post their budgets online usingcharts, graphs, and other tools that are easier for taxpayers to read andunderstand. And, finally, HB 639, a bill which pushes back against Obamas EPAcarbon mandates, passed its first committee of reference with bipartisansupport.

For more information about these bills, see our summaries of these billsat the end of the Billboard!It was a busy and exciting week! Join us for the next eight weeks as wemake our way towards Sine Die (final adjournment of Session).

So whats ahead? As we mark the end of the first week of session, its agood time to talk about the biggest issues AFP-FL will be engaging onover the next eight weeks:1. Fighting Back Against Corporate Welfare the Governor hasrequested $250 million in taxpayer dollars to give to private businesses.AFP-FL activists know that government is not a bank, and that their taxdollars are supposed to be used to provide essential government servicesfor all Floridians. We will also continue to fight against wastefulspending in the form of subsidies and incentives for professional sportsteams and Hollywood film studios.2. Pushing Back Against Obamas EPA Carbon Mandates the job-killing,electricity rate-increasing carbon mandates issued late last year by theEPA are an overreach of bureaucratic authority, which is why Florida hasfiled suit against these rules, along with 26 other states. But until thematter is settled in court, AFP-FL will be encouraging the Floridalegislature to take its own stand against these costly and ineffectiveregulations.

3. Pursuing Free Market, Patient-Centered Healthcare Reform duringthe first Special Session of 2015, the Florida House of Representativestook a principled stand against a plan to expand Medicaid underObamacare, a plan that would have eaten up even more of our statebudget (Medicaid already accounts for 1/3 of the state budget), andwould have hurt Floridas most medically vulnerable, while failing toprovide reliable access to quality healthcare for new enrollees. But it isntenough to say no to a bad plan. This year, AFP-FL is encouraginglegislators to pursue patient-centered healthcare reforms that willincrease access, lower costs, and improve the quality of healthcare byaddressing the underlying causes of increasing costs and limited access.4. Fighting for Broad-based Tax Cuts just because AFP-FL is fightingagainst economic development incentives doesnt mean that we dontwant to see Floridas economy grow. Quite the contrary! Research showsus that broad-based tax cuts are extremely effective in promotingeconomic development without picking winners and losers. Lowering theoverall tax burden for businesses and individual consumers across thestate will help us achieve the dynamic, sustained economic growth weneed.5. Advancing School Choice the best kind of education students canreceive is an education that is tailored to their specific needs andinterests, and allows both students and parents to be active participantsin the education process. By advocating for measures that increaseinnovation, flexibility, and options within our education system, wellprovide students a helping hand towards reaching their goals.6. Cutting Red Tape to Help Florida Businesses Grow Its hard enoughto start a business and keep it going in todays sluggish economy, but itgets even harder when government puts unnecessary barriers in the way.This year, AFP-FL will be fighting to remove regulations that dont serveany real purpose, but hurt Florida businesses that are trying to grow.From regulations like Certificate of Need to the wall separating theliquor section from the rest of the grocery store, AFP-FL will be tacklingregulations that simply dont work.Weve set some pretty big goals, but with your help, we can advancefreedom-oriented policies and fight back against unnecessaryregulations and burdensome taxes!

Entries/ExitsThis week we have 19 new entries to the Billboard. Two bills AFP-FLopposed were removed from tracking this week.

Entries: SupportSB 132 Direct Primary Care Sen. GrimsleyHB 745/SB 516 Special District Budget Transparency Rep. Nuez/Sen.RingHB 765/SB 1228 Cottage Food Operations Rep. Ahern/Sen. DetertSB 830 School Choice Sen. StargelHB 669/SB 886 Educational Choice and Parental Rights Rep.Sprowls/Sen. BenacquistoHB 1155/SB 1426 Membership Association Accountability Rep.Eisnaugle/Sen. StargelSB 1482 Public Meeting Agendas Sen. Soto HB 4007/SB 238 Medical Assistant Certification Rep. Campbell & Rep.Pigman/Sen. Grimsley

Exits: OpposeSB 140 - Additional Charter School Restrictions - Sen. Ring Thoughthis bill presents some challenges to the growth of school choice, it is notas onerous as other options presented, and has the potential to developinto a more balanced bill. Though it will not be added to the support list, itis removed from the oppose list for the time being.HB 571 - Creating Separate Licensing Process for Music Therapists -Rep. Campbell An amendment to this bill was adopted which decreasesthe regulation for music therapists from a full license to a registration. Itis within reason to establish a registration process for healthcareprofessionals. While this bill will not be added to the support list, it asremoved from the oppose list for the time being.

Entries: OpposeHB 1011/SB 1326 Cost of Living Adjustments for FRS Rep.Slosberg/Sen. SotoSB 1130 Limiting Growth of Charter Schools Sen. MontfordSB 1646 Economic Development Package Sen. Latvala HB 4045/SB 1598 Eliminating Short-Term Vacation Rental Preemption Rep. Richardson/Sen. Margolis

Billboard - House of Representatives

AppropriationsSubcommittee onAgriculture & NaturalResources

Appropriations

3rd Reading2nd Reading

Agriculture & NaturalResources Subcommittee

Economic Development &Tourism Subcommittee

Energy & UtilitiesSubcommittee

Business & ProfessionsSubcommittee

Select Committee onAffordable Health Care Access

Appropriations Subcommitteeon Government Operations

Committees

House Floor

Sent to Senate

Returned from Senate

HB 85 (FinalCommittee)

HB 19 (1stCommittee)


Not Yet Assigned:

Choice & InnovationSubcommittee

AppropriationsSubcommittee onEducation

Education

Economic Affairs

Finance & Tax

Health & Human Services

HB 4013 (FinalCommittee)



K-12 Subcommittee

Health InnovationSubcomitteeGovernment OperationsSubcommitteeHB 211 (1stCommittee)

HB 215 (1stCommittee)HB 219 (1stCommittee)


Health Quality Subcommittee

HB 261 (2ndCommittee)HB 4023 (1stCommittee)

HB 423 (FinalCommittee) HB 437 (FinalCommittee)



HB 639 (2ndCommittee)


HB 509 HB 189

HB 753 (1st Committee)


HB 37 (FinalCommittee)HB 745 (2ndCommittee)




HB 4007



Billboard - Senate

3rd ReadingSenate Floor

Sent to House

Returned from House

Banking & Insurance

AppropriationsSubcommittee on Health& Human Services

Education Pre-K-12

AppropriationsSubcommittee onEducationAppropriations

Commerce & Tourism Community Affairs

Environmental Preservation& Conservation Health Policy

Appropriations Subcommitteeon Transportation, Tourism, &Economic DevelopmentAppropriationsSubcommittee on GeneralGovernment

Committees

SB 166 (1stCommittee)

SB 6 (1stCommittee)


SB 116 (FinalCommittee)SB 76 (FinalCommittee)

Not Yet Assigned:


Communications, Energy, &Public Utilities

2nd Reading




SB 384 (1stCommittee)SB 398 (1stCommittee)

SB 424 (1stCommittee)Regulated Industries

SB 176 (FinalCommittee)

SB 438 (2ndCommittee)


SB 204 (1stCommittee)SB 594 (1stCommittee)SB 688 (1stCommittee)






SB 516 (3rdCommittee)



SB 1426 (1stCommittee) SB 1482 (1stCommittee)

SB 238 (1stCommittee)Government Oversight& AccountabilitySB 1326 (1stCommittee)




Action Board

SB 76

SB 116

Key Vote Letter: 1stCommittee


Key Vote Letter: 2ndCommittee


HB 37

HB 85

HB 437




HB4013

HB 423

SB 438




HB 639

HB 745

HB4007









HB 509 Key Vote Letter: 2ndCommittee

HB 189 Key Vote Letter: 2ndCommittee

Support Bills

HB 37/SB 132 - Direct Primary Care - Rep. Costello/Sen. Grimsley: This bill will allow patientsto enter into agreements with their primary care doctors to pay a reasonable monthly fee thatwill cover all of their primary care services, taking the middle man - 3rd party payer healthinsurance - out of the equation.HB 219/SB 76 - Corporate Income Tax Cut - Rep. Sullivan/Sen. Hukill: This bill will increase thecorporate income tax exemption from $50,000 to $75,000. When companies have to pay less intaxes, , to the benefit of the localcommunity.HB 85/SB 212 - Recovery Care Centers - Rep. Fitzenhagen/Sen. D. Gaetz: This bill will allowambulatory surgical centers to hold patients overnight, and create recovery care centers thatmay hold patients for 72 hours. This will increase flexibility, allowing patients greater choice oflocation for their elective surgical procedures. HB 189/SB 432 - Certifying STEM Teachers - Rep. M. Diaz/Sen. Hutson: This bill provides anadditional avenue to certify teachers specializing in the STEM fields. This bill will allowindividuals with advanced degrees, working experience in their field, and high aptitude tests toreceive 5-year certifications to teach classes related to their expertise, providing schools with avaluable way to get proven subject matter expertise into the classroom and help students learnskills that will lead to high paying jobs.HB 247/SB 116 - Commercial Lease Sales Tax Cut - Rep. Fitzenhagen/Sen. Hukill: This bill willdecrease the commercial lease sales tax by 1%. Florida is currently the only state that has thistax. This bill was proposed during the 2015 Regular Legislative Session, and committeetestimony on this bill revealed that some businesses had decided not to locate in Florida due tothis tax. Archived committee footage can be found thefloridachannel.org.HB 261/SB 176 - Cosmetics Regulation Reform - Rep. C. Latvala/Sen. Brandes: This bill willremove red tape for local small businesses and entrepreneurs that produce cosmetics byremoving the requirement that they register their products with the state. Have you heard ofpeople getting in trouble for selling homemade lip balm at farmer's markets and craft fairs? Thisbill would help fix that problem.HB 215 - Commercial Lease Sales Tax Exemption & Repeal - Rep. Ahern: This bill will create anexemption for businesses from the commercial lease sales tax up to a certain amount. Theexemption would increase on a yearly basis until the tax is eventually repealed. Florida iscurrently the only state with this tax.HB 245/SB 420 - Eliminating Separation Requirement for Liquor Sales - Rep. Trujillo/Sen.Benacquisto: This bill will eliminate a requirement that liquor must be sold in a separate locationfrom beer and wine in grocery stores. This requirement, which stipulates the area where liquoris sold must be separated by a wall from the rest of the store, and must only be accessible via aseparate, outdoor entrance, creates additional costs for grocery store owners and creates anunnecessary inconvenience for store patrons. SB 256 - Communication Services Tax Cut - Sen. Hukill: This bill will reduce the CommunicationServices Tax (CST) from 4.92% to 2.92%. This tax applies to widely used services by bothbusinesses and Florida families, such as telephone service and cable television.HB 423 - Expanding Prescription Powers to PAs and ARNPs - Rep. Pigman: This bill will allowPhysician Assistants (PAs) and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) to prescribecertain medications. PAs and ARNPs are highly trained health care professionals, who learnhow to prescribe medication as part of their education and training. Allowing theseprofessionals to utilize their full education will contribute to increased efficiency in treatingpatients,HB 437 - Eliminating Certificate of Need for Hospitals - Rep. Sprowls: This bill will eliminateCertificate of Need for hospitals. This regulation restricts the number of hospital beds in anygiven region, and requires hospitals to get permission from the state before opening newfacilities.

often those funds are reinvested back into the business

Tip: click on the underlined portions for a deeper look at these issues!

which in turn may improve access to care and lower costs for patients.

HB 4023/SB 462 - Decreasing Restrictions on Local Distilleries - Rep. Steube/Sen. Hutson:This bill would allow local craft distilleries to sell their own products at the location ofproduction. Craft distilleries , and allowingthese small businesses to sell their own product at the location where it's made will help theselocal businesses be more successful.create local jobs and contribute to tourism in Florida

HB 639/SB 838 - Placing Conditions on Implementation of EPA Clean Power Plan - Rep. M.Diaz/Sen. Evers: This bill will prevent the Florida Department of Environmental Protection fromimplementing the EPA Clean Power Plan, a costly set of regulations that will have almost no , without the rules first being validated by federalcourt ruling or the passage of a law by Congress.

HB 4013/SB 470 - Blended Learning Flexibility - Rep. M. Diaz/Sen. Brandes: This bill willincrease flexibility for families wanting to use blended learning - a combination of traditionalclassroom learning and online learning platforms - by removing some previous requirementsthat only allowed blended learning in certain situations.

impact on global carbon dioxide emissions

SB 808 - Expanding Authorization & Removing Limitations from Charter Schools - Sen.Brandes: This bill will allow certain municipal authorities to authorize charters for charterschools, and will eliminate a limitation that prevented charter school groups with a provenperformance record from opening more than one school per year, further enhancing choice forstudents and parents.

HB 509 - Regulating Rideshare Companies - Rep. M. Gaetz: This bill will preempt regulation ofrideshare companies, referred to in the bill as Transportation Network Companies, to the state,keeping local governments from passing outright bans. Rideshare companies are part of a newcategory of businesses often referred to as "the sharing economy", and early research suggeststhat these platforms are great at allowing people to utilize what they own to generate extraincome.

HB 909 - Local Special Assessment Accountability - Rep. Eagle: This bill will require countiesand municipalities to meet certain criteria when collecting special assessments, or they will berequired to lower ad valorem taxes by the same amount they would collect from the specialassessment.SB 1062 - Expanding School Choice - Sen. Stargel: This bill will expand eligibility for the McKayScholarship program, one of the most powerful tools for low-income families to help theirstudents out of failing schools, by removing some of the restrictions on which students canapply for the scholarship.

HB 745/SB 516 Special District Budget Transparency Rep. Nuez/Sen. Ring This bill willrequire all special districts (government bodies that are not state, county, or municipalgovernments) to post their yearly budgets online using charts, graphs, and other user-friendlytools. This is a transparency measure that will allow taxpayers to more easily access and keeptrack of how their tax money is being spent.HB 765/SB 1228 Cottage Food Operations Rep. Ahern/Sen. Detert This bill removes amaximum income restriction of $15,000 for cottage food operations (e.g., people who sellhomemade food at farmers markets). This bill means that those who are successful at sellingtheir products at farmers markets wont be penalized and required to jump through extraregulatory hoops if they make too much money from their business.SB 830 School Choice Sen. Stargel This bill will eliminate a regulation that preventscharter school companies with a proven record of success from opening additional schools inareas with high educational needs. This bill will allow more quality educational options forfamilies in some of Floridas most vulnerable communities.HB 669/SB 886 Educational Choice and Parental Rights Rep. Sprowls/Sen. Benacquisto This bill makes several provisions that increase the information and options available to parentsin order to help them make the best decisions about their childs education. These provisionsinclude providing parents with the average dollar amount of funding per child their schoolreceives, allowing students to transfer to any public school, traditional or charter, that hasroom, and requiring schools to provide a response and reason for denial in a certain amount oftime if unable to accept a transfer request.HB 1155/SB 1426 Membership Association Accountability Eisnaugle/Stargel This billwould require certain associations that receive taxpayer dollars to submit information to thestate, including how much the association pay their staff, how much they charge in memberdues, and how much the association spends on lobbyists. The bill would also prohibit theseassociations from using taxpayer dollars to sue the state.SB 1482 Public Meeting Agendas Soto This bill would require boards and commissionsestablished by state agencies, municipalities, or counties to post an agenda for their publicmeetings at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. This is a transparency measure that willincrease public awareness of the activities of boards and commissions operating with the use oftaxpayer dollars.

Oppose BillsHB 109/SB 6 - Minimum Wage Hike - Rep. Torres/Sen. Bullard: This bill would increase theminimum wage to $15/hour. While it's important that all Florida workers have the resourcesthey need to live a fulfilling life, such a severe minimum wage increase will make it harder formany Florida workers to find opportunities at all. If you think of wages like the steps on a ladder,

HB 19/SB 166 - Ban on Local Energy Resource Production via Hydraulic Fracturing/WellStimulation - Rep. Jenne/Sen. Soto: This bill would create a statewide ban on all types of wellstimulation treatments, including hydraulic fracturing, popularly known as fracking. Such a banwould infringe on property rights by placing arbitrary restrictions on what Floridians can do withtheir own land. Land that was purchased because of the natural resources present on theproperty loses value when the government steps in and prevents property owners fromextracting those resources.HB 61/SB 106 - State-Funded TV Loan Fund - Rep. C. Latvala/Sen. Bean: This bill would createa program that allows the well-connected entertainment industry to use taxpayer funds as apersonal line of credit to produce television shows that stand to make millions of dollars, tyingup these funds from being used for essential government services.HB 185/SB 296 - Entry-Level Teacher Minimum Salary - Rep. Rader/Sen. Soto: This bill wouldrequire the government to pay at least $50,000 salaries for all public school teachers. While ourteachers deserve support and respect, this minimum salary requirement may make it harder forteachers to find work. This bill represents a form of minimum wage increase, and, as discussedwith a previous bill, minimum wage increases often eliminate opportunities for the Floridaworkers that need them most.HB 187 - Increased Health Care Facility Regulations - Rep. B. Watson: This bill would createstrict nurse-to-patient ratios, along with other additional health care facility regulations. Theseregulations decrease flexibility for health care facilities to meet patient needs in the way thatworks best for each individual facility, and would make it more difficult for health care facilitiesto operate in a cost-effective way, likely leading to further increases in health care costs.HB 211/SB 438 - Restrictions on State Contracting Awards to Promote Small Business - Rep.Rogers/Sen. Bullard: This bill would require that 35% of all money awarded to contractors tocomplete services for the government be awarded to small businesses as defined in the bill.While supporting our small business community should be a top priority, we should not handcufflocal governments into making deals that will cost taxpayers more in the long run.SB 252 - Restricting the Growth of Charter Schools - Sen. Clemens: This bill would requirecharter schools to demonstrate they are "needed" in a community before the school may receiveits charter. This bill would restrict the number of new charter schools established in Florida toaccommodate the growing school-aged population, and would therefore limit the educationalchoices available to students and parents.SB 358 - Resolution to Propose Constitutional Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing - Sen. Ring: This billis a joint resolution, which would propose an amendment to the Florida Constitution banninghydraulic fracturing in the state. As discussed in previous bills, banning hydraulic fracturingwould infringe on the property rights of Florida's citizens.SB 384 - Requiring All Employers to Offer Paid Family Leave - Sen. Bullard: This bill wouldrequire all employers to provide six weeks paid parental leave to all employees. Florida's familiesare a priority, but the best way to protect Florida families is to allow workers and employees todecide for themselves what wages and benefits best suit their needs, not more governmentregulation.HB 753/SB 398 - Economic Incentive Program for Small Tech Companies - Rep. Pritchett/Sen.Soto: This bill would appropriate $50 million in state taxpayer funds to be lent to privatetechnology businesses in the state. Small businesses are a vital part of Florida's dynamiceconomy, but investment in these small businesses should be done on a voluntary basis byindividual Floridians, not through the appropriation of state tax dollars.SB 424 -Increasing Barriers to Approve Charter Schools - Sen. Sobel: This bill would allowdistricts to reject a charter company's application to open a new charter school if the companyhad ever had a failed school, no matter what the reason for the school failure was, even if it wasoutside the school operator's control.

removing the lower steps makes it harder for workers to climb their way to the top.

HB 4007/SB 238 Medical Assistant Certification Campbell & Pigman/Grimsley This bill willremove an unnecessary and obsolete licensure from Florida Statute. Medical AssistantCertification under state law is not required, and therefore is an unused regulation that nolonger needs to be on the books.

HB 453 - Proposing a Constitutional Amendment to Ban Well Stimulation - Rep. J. Rodrguez :This bill is similar to SB 358, but seeks to ban all well stimulation stimulation treatments, not justhydraulic fracturing. Like outright bans on hydraulic fracturing, an outright ban on all wellstimulation treatments would violate property rights.SB 204 - Creating Separate Licensing Process for Music Therapists - Sen. Clemens: This billwould create an additional licensing board and process, complete with a whole new set ofregulations for individuals wanting to practice music therapy. Occupational licenses like the oneproposed here are often referred to as regulations of last resort, as there are many other typesof regulations that are effective at monitoring professions for violations of public health andsafety that are much less onerous than a licensing process. As there are already amplecertifications for therapists in the state of Florida without creating an entirely new classificationfor music therapists, this bill is simply additional, and unnecessary, red tape.HB 683/SB 594 - Creating Separate Licensing Process for Art Therapists - Rep. Goodson/Sen.Sobel: Similar to the music therapist bill explained above, this bill would create an additionallicensing board and process for individuals wanting to practice art therapy. For the same reasonsexplained in regards to S.B. 204, a new license specifically for art therapy is a bad idea.SB 688 - Ban on Well Stimulation and Resource Extraction - Sen. Sobel: Like HB 453, this billseeks to ban well stimulation throughout the state, but would ban the practice via state law,rather than a constitutional amendment.HB 1011/SB 1326 Cost of Living Adjustments for FRS Rep. Slosberg/Sen. Soto This billwould require an exorbitant cost of living adjustment to take place automatically for thosereceiving FRS pension benefits, even when there has not been a change in actual cost of living.While the state should take care of its retired employees and fulfill its commitment to deliverpromised benefits, the state must be responsible with its pension fund, or future retirees will nothave the benefits theyre counting on.SB 1130 Limiting Growth of Charter Schools Sen. Montford This bill would limit and deterthe growth of charter schools, an important education option for families in underservedcommunities, by essentially making charters an option of last resort once all other methods forimproving public education have been exhausted. While appropriate steps should be taken toimprove traditional public schools when possible, we shouldnt turn away additional options inthe process.SB 1646 Economic Development Package Sen. Latvala This economic development packageincludes a renewal of Floridas film incentive program, which for the past five years has given thetaxpayer a return of 43 cents for every dollar spent. It also provides $250 million in incentives tobe given away to private businesses. This type of spending will not promote long-term, stableeconomic growth in Florida. Investment in essential government services like education andinfrastructure and broad-based tax cuts are a more effective use of taxpayer dollars. HB 4045/SB 1598 Eliminating Short-Term Vacation Rental Preemption Rep. Richardson/Sen.Margolis This bill would roll back a state preemption that keeps local governments fromunnecessarily limiting the property rights of homeowners by dictating how long a homeownercan rent their home to individuals of their choice.

Documents

The Florida Billboard - 1/16/2016