Your Week 4 Legislative Session Review from Team Anna

by | February 7, 2022

Dear Friend,

We are starting Week 5 of Florida’s 2022 Legislative Session and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Please scroll down for your weekly update from the Florida Capitol along with a brief COVID-19 update too.

Remember, our legislative updates are thorough but will never be all encompassing. I encourage you to tune into the Florida Channel live, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

We’ll see you back home in Orlando on Saturday at 10am for our weekly canvass; RSVP here and let’s keep hustling for the people of Florida!

Onward,

Representative Anna V. Eskamani

COVID19 UPDATES

For a third straight week, Florida has reported fewer new COVID-19 infections than the week prior as the state pulls further away from the peak of the omicron variant surge. That comes as the United States on Friday passed 900,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic. Florida is among many states where fatalities are rising, reflecting the lag time between when victims become infected and when they succumb.

Florida’s health department logged 132,622 new cases from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, according to its weekly report released Friday evening. That’s down 33% compared to the week prior. It amounts to 18,946 new cases per day this week after an average of 28,331 the week before.

We’ve had a few folks ask us where to find N95 Masks. This link includes more details on where to find N95 masks in Central Florida.

DELAYS WITH FOOD STAMPS

 A worker shortage within the government is keeping some Floridians from getting SNAP benefits, which includes food stamps. This week, DCF also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, requesting to extend the eligibility of recipients for recertification in March and April. DCF also asked to waive the interview part of the SNAP application process so more people can receive benefits faster.

We are hopeful these changes will help eliminate the delays being experienced by Floridians. Read more from Fox 35 via this link.

REDISTRICTING UPDATE

This week we, alongside most Democrats, voted NO on the Florida House Floor against the proposed redistricting maps due to our concerns that they were not constitutional. See my debate below:

As new legislative lines in the once-a-decade redistricting process are headed to the Florida Supreme Court, new congressional map remains on hold. In another sign that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may veto a new congressional map being drawn by the state Legislature, last week asked the state’s highest court to tell him whether or not a 200-mile congressional district linking Black neighborhoods must be kept intact. As reported by Politico, the governor’s move brought ongoing redistricting efforts in Florida to a screeching halt as the Republican-controlled state House said it would not move forward on a new draft congressional map while it waits until the Florida Supreme Court “issues any guidance.”

This move is 100% politically motivated by Governor DeSantis and a clear attempt to gerrymander Florida’s Congressional maps to benefit the Republican Party.

BILL TO MAKE IT HARDER TO VOTE AND REGISTER VOTERS MOVES FORWARD

Speaking of policies that give more power to the Republican Party — Florida lawmakers are considering new legislation aimed at changing election laws in Florida including creating an election police force — a proposal sought by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Travis Hutson and formally introduced Tuesday, comes amid a push by Republicans nationwide to make it harder to vote amid continued fallout from the 2020 election.

As reported by CNN, The new bill would increase voter identification requirements for voting by mail, meaning voters would need to provide either the last four digits of their driver’s license or their Social Security number on submitted ballots. Voters already have to include this information on the application.
The measure would also ban ranked-choice voting for local elections and require elections officials to update voter rolls every year. Additionally, the bill increases misdemeanor violations to a felony for collecting more than one vote-by-mail ballot.
One section of the bill that has raised concern is the increased cap on fines for certain violations by third-party registration organizations from $1,000 to $50,000. Critics worry the higher cap could significantly impact the smaller local groups who have limited budgets.

This bill got its first hearing in the Florida House too.

Meanwhile, in South Florida: residents of a public housing building in Miami say their voter registrations were unknowingly changed from Democrat to Republican after being visited by GOP canvassers, WPLG Local 10 News reported on Wednesday. The vice chair of the state Senate’s Ethics and Elections Committee told Rolling Stone on Thursday that she is requesting an investigation.

ABORTION BAN MOVES FORWARD 

Last week Florida’s 15 week abortion ban passed its first committee stop in the Senate. Abortion providers and members of ACOG were there to testify against the bill, and we joined these physicians prior to the meeting in a press conference. You can listen to my remarks here.

The bill passed the Senate Committee alongside a party line vote, and rejected an amendment filed by a Democrat to provide an exemption for rape and incest.

There was this important moment where an abortion provider schooled a Republican State Senator on how abortion care works. You can watch the video below.

ANTI NET-METERING BILL HEARD IN FLORIDA HOUSE

Legislation favored by Florida Power & Light (FPL) and other utility monopolies to require future rooftop solar panel customers to pay higher rates was approved by the House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee Thursday. The bill has received stiff opposition from the solar industry in Florida, with many companies and advocates arguing it would severely hurt the industry. The only groups that waived in support of the bill in committee seemed to be groups that are backed by FPL, too. 

We wholeheartedly oppose this bill, and have been doing what we can to amplify the concerns of both business leaders in the solar industry along with environmentalists. 

On Sunday we also penned an op-ed supporting a County Ordinance to help stop urban runoff to improve Central Florida’s water quality. You can read my editorial below.

Finally, this article below was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Palm Beach Post and speaks to the ridiculous level of influence the sugar industry has on Florida politics. You can read it here.

ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILL MOVES FORWARD

As reported by The Tampa Bay Times, Republicans in a Florida Senate committee pushed through a bill that would bar the state from doing business with companies that transport undocumented migrants into the state, giving a nod to a controversial but key part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ election-year agenda.

The measure, approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote, would also expand the scope of a 2019 law that barred so-called sanctuary cities in the state, less than four months after a federal judge in Miami deemed portions of the law unconstitutional and tinged with “discriminatory motives.” This bill is now also moving in the House.

This is a dangerous bill that specifically targets immigrant kids too. Meanwhile, Florida Republicans continue to lie about immigration policies in America, organizing a protest last week claiming that there were undocumented people in Maitland, when really the workers they were targeted are all H-2A  visa holders providing labor to a local nursery. See more below.

$4 BILLION CORPORATE TAX BREAK MOVES FORWARD IN SENATE

You might have missed this last week, but the Florida Senate started pushing a plan that would cut taxes for corporations by nearly $4 billion over the next five years. $4 billion is an enormous number. That’s as much money as the state of Florida has spent on affordable housing OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS.

And none of these tax cuts would go to small businesses or everyday working folks. All of the savings – every penny of that $4 billion – would go to the top 1 percent of businesses. In fact, half of the money would go to just 100 giant corporations – companies that are already raking in record profits. Tallahassee Republicans already gave these same corporations *another* $4 billion tax cut two years ago. And former President Donald Trump gave corporations one of the biggest tax cuts in American history.

While this bill passed its Senate Committee, the House Ways & Means Committee passed a bill that would give ONE COMPANY an annual $7.5 million tax break for literally no reason beyond the company hiring lobbyists. I voted no on this bill. 

BILLS TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS WEEK THAT IMPACT LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

A Florida bill that would limit classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity and encourage parents to sue schools or teachers that engage in these topics is speeding through the state House and Senate.

It’s being called a “Don’t Say Gay” bill by LGBTQ advocates, who fear that if this bill is signed into law, it could act as a complete ban on the lessons on LGBTQ oppression, history and discussions about LGBTQ identities.

This dangerous bill will be heard in the Florida Senate TOMORROW at 9am. Contact all members in that committee and demand that they vote NO: CLICK HERE.

Meanwhile, a bill to go after school board members and create a pathway to ban books has been scheduled for a vote on the House Floor. Read more here.

WORKERS’ RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK (AGAIN!)

Another terrible bill heard in a committee I serve on — this bill would strip away local governments from being able to set living wage requirements in government contracts. So if a local government wanted to open up a RFP, and set a minimum wage to be paid to workers that was above minimum wage they couldn’t do it. They would allow companies to immediately begin paying workers they hire with public money less. It’s unreal, and so many wage policies have already been pre-empted to the state too!

In addition to supporting our workers and strong wages, we’ve also continued to champion home rule and local control.

EDUCATION POLICY ISSUES

In addition to the education news shared above, both chambers unveiled their education budget proposals for the coming fiscal year. Though they adhered largely to the wishes of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the spending plans included some surprises. Perhaps the biggest one came out of the House.

Rep. Randy Fine, who chairs the PreK-12 Appropriations subcommittee, recommended punishing the dozen districts that implemented strict mask mandates against state rule and law. He said they should have $200 million taken away, with that amount to be distributed to the 55 other districts that followed instructions. Read more from the Tampa Bay Times here.

As the Florida Legislature debates changes to Florida’s testing requirements, some school districts are asking the state to waive the consequences associated with annual spring testing results for another year. Read more here.

HOUSING ISSUES

Despite the fact that one of the most frequent calls we get int our office is pertaining to the cost of housing and rent, the Florida Legislature — thus far — has taken no action on addressing rent hikes. Instead, a predatory bill to allow companies like LeaseLock and Rhino to operate in Florida is what moves forward the fasted. Read more here.

Meanwhile, the Florida Legislature is moving forward with a $50,000 property tax exemption for teachers, first responders, military members. You can read more here. This is a good gesture, but does not solve issues being felt by renters and will negatively impact the revenue of local governments to pay essential workers, too.

MORE CULTURE WARS

As part of the “stop-woke” agenda of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Florida lawmakers are now considering bills that would allow almost anyone to object to any instruction in public school classrooms. DeSantis wants to give people the right to sue schools and teachers over what they teach based on student “discomfort.” The proposed legislation is far-reaching and could affect even corporate human resources diversity training. Read more from the Washington Post here.

 

STATE BUDGET

Lawmakers are flush with cash, thanks to federal stimulus money and larger-than-expected tax collections as Florida’s economy has recovered during the COVID-19 pandemic. And last week, the Florida Senate and House rolled out their draft state budgets.

The Senate proposal weighs in at $108.6 billion, while the House proposal totals nearly $105.3 billion. Both of the proposals, released Friday, would be record spending plans for the state and would easily top the current-year budget of roughly $100 billion.

Read more here.

SCENES FROM TALLAHASSEE & THE DISTRICT