Your Week 9 Legislative Session Review from Team Anna

Dear Friend,

After 60 days of Legislative Session, Majority Leadership offered culture war distractions instead of solutions to real problems facing Floridians and we’ve had to extend our time in Tallahassee to get it all done, too.

Stay tuned for the announcement of our virtual Post-Session review where we’ll unpack this year’s legislation and budget. We also expect to be called back for a Special Session as the Governor declared during our debate on the two sets of Congressional maps proposed that he plans to veto them. 

This is your final weekly review from the 2022 Florida Legislative Session. I hope to hit the road later today and be back home soon, 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.

Onward, 

Representative Anna V. Eskamani

COVID19 UPDATES

Central Florida is seeing more good news in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. In its latest update on COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified all Central Florida counties as having a low COVID-19 community level.

Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Marion, Sumter, Flagler, Volusia and Brevard counties are all marked as low, according to the CDC. Read more here.

While the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to dwindle, a report released Friday shows that nearly 72,000 Florida residents have died since the pandemic started in early 2020. We are sending love to everyone who has lost someone they care about.

HOMEOWNERS ASSISTANCE FUND

The Department of Economic Opportunity has finally announced the opening of the federally funded Homeowner Assistance Fund. 

This Fund is designed to mitigate financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing homeowners’ mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacements, as well as loss of utilities, home energy services, and insurance.

Financial assistance will be provided based on the needs of homeowners in Florida. The registration portal is now open, and is for homeowners to begin the first step in determining their eligibility to receive assistance. It can be found at www.FLHomeownerAssistance.org.

Feel free to share this information with family and friends. Our legislative office has continued to provide support to Floridians who are missing unemployment benefits, seeking rental assistance, in need of health care services, and/or facing other economic challenges. We will always do our best to assist and are here to serve.

REDISTRICTING UPDATE

A second lawsuit has been filed amid the political impasse between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature about how to redraw Florida’s congressional districts. This time, the venue is the federal court sitting in Tallahassee.

As with a similar lawsuit filed Friday in a state trial court also in Tallahassee, the new action argues the dispute between the governor and lawmakers threatens voters’ right to cast ballots in constitutionally apportioned districts. As reported by the Florida Phoenix:

The complaint asks the court to prevent the state from falling back on existing congressional district lines, which don’t reflect population growth that entitles Florida to an additional district, 28 in total; to draw new districts itself; and to pay the plaintiffs their litigation costs.

The dispute between the governor and Legislature is over the latter’s insistence on preserving a district in North Florida that would allow Blacks to place one of their own in Congress. The Legislature has approved two maps that would accomplish that goal, its preferred one and a back-up, with one version of the district contained within Duval County and another stretching 200 miles from Duval to Gadsden County.

FLORIDA’S STATE BUDGET

As reported by The Tampa Bay Times:

In what would be by far the largest budget in state history, legislators on Thursday released a record $112.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that includes more than $1 billion for pay raises for state workers and contractors.

All state workers will see across-the-board 5.38 percent pay raises. No state workers will make less than $15 per hour. And teachers, bus drivers, workers at state-contracted nursing homes and Medicaid contractors will all see their pay start at $15 per hour.

Lawmakers’ proposal for school spending is one of the largest ever, and the Florida Education Association, which represents teachers, called it “a real step forward.” Prosecutors and public defenders will see raises between $5,000 and $10,000. Corrections officers would start at $20 per hour.

The record spending plan is thanks to the state’s booming tax rolls coming out of the pandemic and billions of dollars handed down from Congress.

On the health care side, my colleagues once again turned down billions in federal subsidies that the state could have used to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of working poor Floridians. My peers also cut the bulk of a $309 million fund for hospitals that serve the state’s poorest and sickest Medicaid patients. We still have not eliminated the APD wait list, either.

However: Nursing homes got more than $200 million that must be spent on raising staff wages to $15 per hour. That could prove a big boost for many nursing home caregivers who make the state’s minimum wage of $10 per hour.

When it comes to housing, $362.7 million has been allocated towards affordable housing — but majority is going towards home ownership vs apartments. Florida’s affordable housing is a crisis in large part because of a lack of affordable rental units. In South Florida, rents rose 34 percent last year in some places.

We are also excited to announce that for years, we’ve lead the charge to fully fund Cultural & Museum programs across Florida and for the first time in nearly a decade, 556 arts groups are 100% FUNDED with $46 MILLION in grants! This is a historic moment.

Not everything in the budget is positive though. The Governor is receiving funds for a new militia, an elections investigation force, and funds to target immigrants (which likely goes against the Supremacy Clause). There are also parts of the budget conforming bills that we do not support, including one measure to arbitrarily punish higher-ed institutions via a bill that hasn’t even been signed into law yet.

Another budget bill that we heard last week and will vote on today is SB2508 dealing with water-related issues in South Florida. Environmental groups, boaters and Gov. Ron DeSantis objected to an early version of the bill, which was backed by Simpson. Some opponents expressed concerns the initial version would turn Lake Okeechobee into a reservoir for sugar farmers.

DON’T SAY GAY BILL

HB1557, known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill passed the Senate and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.

Earlier in the week, we joined Marissa Flint, an 11-year Disney cast member and UNITE HERE! Local 362 member and a leader with Voters of Tomorrow for a virtual press conference to call on the Walt Disney Company to stop donating to the campaigns of state lawmakers that sponsor anti-LGBTQ+bills.

We were amplifying the voices of other Disney employees too, and sure enough not only did the Walt Disney Company finally come out against the bill publicly, but they issued the following statement too.

It is hard to know that the impact of this decision will be, especially since the bill is already on its way to the Governor’s desk. But I want to express my support and gratitude of Disney workers who are bravely holding their employer accountable.

OTHER BAD BILLS THAT PASSED DURING THE WEEK

Here’s a quick breakdown of bad, unnecessary and political bills that passed in the final days of legislative session:

• House Bill 7: “If enacted, the bill would limit protected speech in workplaces with more than fifteen employees and classrooms by censoring honest dialogue about systemic racism, gender, and race discrimination. It would also change Florida’s employment discrimination statutes to give employees the ability to file discrimination claims against an employer engaging in trainings or discussions about Black history, LGBTQ+ issues, and other concepts of injustice and discrimination.” Read more here.
• Anti-Immigration: “The bill forms part of a series of anti-immigrant measures by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies. Proponents of these efforts have one thing in common: a minimal understanding of the complex body of immigration laws, regulations, and policies. Any way this proposed law is implemented will violate the U.S. Constitution. Yet, despite confusion and uncertainty surrounding the law’s meaning and consequences, the House and Senate versions are on their way to the floor.” Read more here.
• Election Changes: “Two months after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a plan for a powerful elections police force that would answer to him, state lawmakers on Wednesday passed a watered-down version that barely resembles what the governor asked for but still worries voting rights advocates…. The bill also includes harsh repercussions for some voting practices that were common in the state until last year, when the legislature, at the governor’s behest, passed sweeping changes to state elections laws.” Read more here.
• Changes to Nursing Homes Staffing: “Opponents of a bill that would upend staff standards in Florida nursing homes now have one final hope: the veto pen of Gov. Ron DeSantis. House Bill 1239 cleared the Legislature on Monday with bipartisan support after a contentious campaign waged by labor and elder advocate groups, who claim it will lower the quality of care for nursing home residents.” Read more here.

In addition to these three bills: HB5, the 15 week abortion ban, and HB741, the anti-net metering bill, are both on their way to the Governor.

MIYA’S LAW PASSED

As reported by ABC News:

Nearly six months after college student Miya Marcano was allegedly murdered by a man who worked in her apartment building, Florida lawmakers have passed a bill mandating stronger protections for tenants.

“Miya’s Law,” which passed Friday in the state legislature, now mandates landlords and building managers require background checks for all prospective employees, reinforces requirements regarding access to individual units and requires landlords to give tenants 24 hours notice if a repairs need to take place.

Marcano’s family has called for stronger tenant protections and more scrutiny of prospective apartment maintenance employees. If Miya’s Law is signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, landlords who violate the new rules could be hit with a felony or first-degree misdemeanor charge.

TAX PACKAGE

As reporting by Seeking Rents:

Big-busines front groups like Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce made permanent corporate tax cut a top priority. Florida TaxWatch weighed in with another “briefing.” The chairman of the Republican Party of Florida – Joe Gruters, who also serves as a senator representing the Sarasota area – went to bat for them by personally sponsoring a bill (SB 1090) that would have given corporations everything they wanted.

But in the end, lawmakers from both political parties said no. They didn’t cut the corporate tax rate. They didn’t decouple from key provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. And they shot down attempted carveouts by individual companies and industries – like Avis’ bid to snag $5 million for itself.

This is why – following a legislative session that was dominated by ugly, partisan fights over culture-war issues like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the “Stop WOKE Act” and the 15-week abortion ban – the Florida Legislature is about to pass a $1 billion-plus package of tax cuts that will have broad, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The vote on this tax package (HB 7071) may very well be unanimous.  

Now, this same battle may have to be fought again next year. And while lawmakers in both parties banded together to block further corporate tax cuts, Republicans also rejected a Democratic attempt to close easy-to-exploit corporate tax loopholes that the world’s biggest companies are using to pay far less state tax than they should.

The business lobby got its way in other policy fights, too. For the second year in a row, they killed a bill to imposed strong new data-privacy protections on companies, even though Gov. Ron DeSantis has said that this is one of his priority issues. And they persuaded lawmakers to pass what has been called the “mother of all preemptions,” which will make it easier for businesses to block local laws they don’t like by suing cities and counties.  

But for at least one year, Florida lawmakers decided that instead of further cutting taxes for the world’s biggest corporations, they would cut taxes for parents buying diapers, clothing and books for their kids and homeowners buying energy-efficient appliances and hurricane-strength windows for their houses.

And that’s something all Floridians can feel good about.

In addition to the tax package not included a major new corporate tax giveaway, it will include several consumer focused tax breaks, including a one year tax break for children’s diapers. This is something we’ve been working hard towards, and will save Florida families money. Thank you to Florida’s Diaper Banks for being such fierce advocates for this too!

EDUCATION POLICY ISSUES

As reported by the Orlando Sentinel:

Also in education news, changes coming to the Department of Education:

Richard Corcoran, a contentious figure in Florida education who navigated a pandemic in public schools, penalized some local school boards and banned culture-war race theories, is stepping down before the end of the school  year. Read more here.

As reported by WPTV — though money is not being taken away from school districts who had mask requirements, funds are being awarded to those who did not:

Dozens of Florida school districts — including those on the Treasure Coast — could be financially rewarded for enacting less restrictive face mask policies last year.

The Florida House and Senate on Thursday released their final proposed $112 billion budget, which includes $24.3 billion for K-12 public education in the state.

200 million has been put into a School Recognition Fund, which would reward schools in 55 districts that followed a Florida Department of Health emergency rule in 2021 by allowing parents and guardians to opt their children out of wearing facial coverings in school.

Those districts include Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties.

However, 12 school districts that enacted sweeping mask mandates with no parental opt-out — including Palm Beach and Indian River counties — would not be eligible for the reward money.

And finally, as reported by The Tampa Bay Times:

A controversial higher education bill that affects tenured faculty and changes the accreditation process for Florida universities is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for signing, but not before Democratic lawmakers cautioned it would do more harm than good

GOOD & BAD BILLS THAT DID NOT PASS

THE GOOD: This legislative session saw no bill pass to address the rising rent crisis, property insurance rates, condo safety or data privacy. Our bi-partisan AAPI bill, though it did move through one committee in the Senate, did not move through the House.

THE BAD: Some bad bills that did NOT make it through the finish line include the LeaseLock/Rhino bill, new corporate tax giveaways, and two separate bills to go after collective bargaining, workers rights and wages.

SCENES FROM TALLAHASSEE & THE DISTRICT