Karen Cyphers - page 42

Maintaining its well-known role, the ACLU of Florida measured the end of Session as one with multiple disgruntlements, including what they feel were the undesirable outcomes of bills regarding voting rights, the death penalty, and more. “This legislative session opened with big promises from Gov. Scott and legislative leaders that this year would be different. We were told that after the fiasco of the 2012 election, our elected leaders had seen the error of their ways and would undo the…

Keep Reading

To James Madison Institute president and CEO Dr. Bob McClure, House leaders deserve credit for refusing to be rushed into expanding Medicaid this Session. “With some PPACA supporters in Congress now referring to the federal government’s implementation of the health care law as a ‘train wreck,’ this is hardly the time for Florida to climb aboard,” states McClure. “In this case taking no action instead of the wrong action was a wise decision by Florida’s leadership. Expanding a badly flawed…

Keep Reading

Erik Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation and former chief of staff to Governor Charlie Crist, expressed gratitude to the Florida Legislature for its inclusion of $70 million for Everglades restoration in the FY 2014 state budget. “Today is a great day for America’s Everglades,” said Eikenberg. “The last several months were productive as we implored the state to continue its commitment to Everglades restoration and protection.  Having worked with Governor Rick Scott, President Don Gaetz, Speaker Will Weatherford, Chairman…

Keep Reading

Sorry, Conan and Letterman, but Florida’s League of Women voters believes that historic election reforms passed this Session will help ensure that Florida elections are no longer fodder for late night television. With the approval of HB 7013, the League believes Floridians will no longer face as long lines at polls, and will expand access to early voting.  Further, the measure gives Supervisors of Election greater flexibility in how they structure early voting, and requires amendment summaries to be 75…

Keep Reading

Dr. Ed Moore, President and CEO of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, congratulated the members of the 2013 legislature for another successful session and the passage of a balanced budget. “We are thankful for the Legislature’s $13.8 million increase to the Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG) and their continued commitment to funding student assistance. The FRAG program and other Florida sources of student aid provide our aspiring scholars with the assistance they need to pursue higher education,” said Moore.…

Keep Reading

Following the passage of the 2013-2014 budget and the conclusion of Legislative Session, Sepaker-Designate Steve Crisafulli praised the Legislature for its hard work. “Today, the Legislature passed a responsible, balanced budget that includes no tax or fee increases and shows our strong commitment to a world-class education for Florida students, strengthening the health care safety net for our most vulnerable citizens, and ensuring law enforcement has the tools it needs to keep Floridians safe,” he said. “This year, we were…

Keep Reading

Senate Budget Chairman Joe Negron preempted the impending release of Florida TaxWatch’s annual turkey list, likening the watchdog group to armchair quarterbacks. “If our friends at TaxWatch want to write the state budget,” he said, “they need to go run for state office.”  While the legislature did indeed pass a project-laden $74.5 billion budget, the largest in state history, they nevertheless kept a $2.8 billion reserve, repaid a $300 million cut to the state university system, and added $500 million…

Keep Reading