GOVERNOR CRIST PRAISES 2008 LEGISLATURE FOR GREAT WORK
May 2, 2008
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TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today applauded the Florida Legislature for their tremendous work during the 2008 legislative session. Faced with a challenging economy and working with less revenue, the Legislature did not raise taxes and continued to ensure public safety, quality education and care for Florida’s most vulnerable children, disabled and elderly. In additon, they were also able to protect and preserve Florida’s natural resources for future generations.
“I want to thank Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio – as well as their budget leaders, Senator Lisa Carlton and Representative Ray Sansom – for their commitment to addressing the needs of Floridians during this challenging and historic time,” Governor Crist said. “It is easier to legislate and govern when funds are flowing in, but they have done a tremendous job focusing on the needs of the people of Florida and building a budget that ensures a bright future for Florida.”
The Legislature followed Governor Crist’s recommendation to use financial reserves to meet Florida’s most critical budget needs. Accomplishments achieved during the 2008 legislative session include the following:
Keeping Floridians Healthy
Cover Florida – Senate Bill 2534 will provide affordable health insurance options to Florida’s 3.8 million uninsured individuals. The Governor’s Cover Florida plan will allow the State of Florida to negotiate with health insurers to develop affordable health coverage for uninsured Floridians ages 19 to 64. Small businesses will also be able to offer employees a variety of health care plans and services through a centralized clearinghouse.
Florida KidCare – To continue reducing the number of uninsured children throughout Florida, the Florida KidCare Program will provide access to quality, affordable health care for more than 38,000 additional children. Legislation also removes the 10 percent “full pay cap” in KidCare, providing insurance opportunities for the more than 548,000 uninsured children. By lifting the cap on full-pay enrollment, all children in Florida will become eligible to purchase health insurance through the KidCare program.
“I am extremely grateful to Mrs. Rhea Chiles for supporting the use of endowment funds from the Lawton Chiles Tobacco Trust Fund to help meet the health care needs of Florida’s children,” Governor Crist said. “I am grateful to her, and I would not have recommended this action without her permission.”
Dental Care – Many Floridians go without dental care due to an acute shortage of dentists in our public health system. At the same time, Florida has been one of only three states not allowing reciprocity to licensed dentists. Legislation created this year will allow out-of-state dentists to be recruited to address an acute shortage of dentists in Florida’s public health system. Veteran dentists in the United States Armed Services and dentists who teach Florida’s students will be given additional incentives.
Certificate of Need (CON) Reform – The CON review process for general hospitals will be streamlined to receive approval to operate in Florida, encouraging the creation of critical health facilities and improved access to health care. This legislation will also increase competition and efficiency in the health care marketplace and spur economic development. Expenditures will now be focused on building good hospitals rather than on litigation costs.
Protecting Florida’s Natural Resources
Green Energy – This legislation centralizes Florida’s energy and climate change programs and policies within the Florida Energy and Climate Commission to be established within the Executive Office of the Governor. The Commission will promote efficiency, cooperation and reduce duplication to support a more comprehensive, long-term state energy policy. It also establishes a renewable fuel standard, requiring ethanol to make up 10 percent of Florida’s total fuel supply by 2010. In addition, the Public Service Commission will develop a renewable portfolio standard to increase the use of wind, solar and other renewable energy. Newly constructed buildings will be up to 50 percent more efficient by 2019 by improving existing building codes. Within the State University System, a Florida Energy Systems Consortium will leverage the expertise of Florida’s research community to grow the state’s emerging green economy.
Everglades Restoration – Florida’s natural resources and wildlife will continue being preserved through important land purchases by Florida Forever, which will now continue through at least 2018. The program has been instrumental in conserving water and securing the future of the Everglades.
Southeast Florida Public Water Supply – Currently, six facilities in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties discharge approximately 300 million gallons of treated domestic wastewater directly into the Atlantic Ocean every day. The Leah Shad Memorial Ocean Outfall Program will decrease the discharges and increase the use of reclaimed water. These measures will decrease the impact on the Atlantic Ocean, benefiting onshore freshwater systems.
Success for Every Student
Teacher Bonuses – The Merit Award Program, created by the 2007 Legislature, will continue to provide five-percent to 10-percent performance bonuses to the state’s best educators for participating districts and schools. Teachers who obtain national certification will be able to receive an additional 10-percent salary bonus.
Transparency in Education Spending – The Governor’s “65 Percent Truth in Spending” legislation was adopted by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which has proposed a constitutional amendment giving the people of Florida the opportunity to choose transparency in public school spending. If approved by voters in November, the measure would require school districts to spend 65 percent of their state funds on direct classroom expenses.
Physical Education – To help Florida’s children be more active and learn the importance of choosing a healthy lifestyle, over a million elementary school students in Florida public schools will continue receiving 30 minutes of meaningful physical education each day with over 26,000 sixth graders in many of those elementary schools continuing this program next school year. Additionally, in 2009-10, middle school students will be required to take at least one semester of physical education each year.
Strengthening Florida’s Families
Adoption –Additional subsidies will allow 3,100 more special needs children to have a permanent adoptive family, rather than remain in foster care.
Autism – Statistics show that one in every 150 children develop an autism spectrum disorder, including one in every 94 boys. The Legislature approved a measure to include autism coverage in health insurance benefits.
Protecting Our Communities
Prison Beds and Corrections Officers – In a year when some state legislatures have considered drastic measures to reduce their prison populations by releasing prisoners early, the Florida Legislature approved plans to improve public safety by adding more than 10,000 prison beds. This action ensures that inmates continue to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences and provides adequate prison capacity for the projected inmate population over the next three years.
Compensation – The Legislature provided relief to Jerome Alan Crotzer with $1.25 million for 24½ years of wrongful imprisonment. Mr. Crotzer was convicted in 1982 on several charges but was exonerated in 2006 through DNA evidence. The bill, signed earlier by Governor Crist, also provides Crotzer with enough academic credits to pursue a four-year college degree at a university, community college, or career center.
Keeping Florida’s Economy Vibrant
Jack Davis Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act – Jack Davis, an 11-year-old from South Florida, brought the legislation to fruition after learning that restaurants throw leftover food away rather than donate it because of liability concerns. The act, signed by Governor Crist last week, makes it easier for restaurants to donate leftover food to charitable and non-profit organizations for the benefit of persons in need. In addition to fighting hunger, it addresses environmental concerns of rotting food.
Affordable Housing – To help ensure the American dream of homeownership, increased funds will be available for down payment and closing cost assistance in counties and municipalities that remove or reduce their homeownership impact fees. The legislation will help 2,200 families afford to purchase a home.
Property Taxes – The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission has proposed a constitutional amendment for voters to decide whether to reduce their property taxes by one-third and fund education through increased sales taxes and repeal of sales tax exemptions.
Property Insurance – The “Homeowner’s Bill of Rights Act” strengthens the state’s ability to hold property insurance companies responsible for unfair or deceptive trade practices by doubling fines for insurance code violations. It also creates more transparency in the rate development process and requires insurers to base rates, in part, on including windstorm mitigation premium discounts that are tied to the home’s storm resistance rating.
Consumers are provided additional protections, including freezing Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s rates until January 2010. Potential purchasers of residential properties insured for $500,000 or more by Citizens – as well as residential properties located in the wind-borne debris region – will be informed of the structure’s windstorm mitigation rating.
Home Foreclosure – In response to the Florida HOPE Task Force recommendation to pass House Bill 643, the Florida Legislature created new protections for homeowners facing foreclosure. The legislation specifies the information that must be provided to the homeowner in writing by foreclosure-rescue services during the foreclosure process. It also gives the homeowner the right to cancel the written foreclosure-rescue agreement within three business days, without penalty, and to repurchase homes in foreclosure-rescue within 30 days. It also makes violations of the new legislation an unfair and deceptive trade practice, punishable by up to $15,000 for each violation. In addition, House Bill 743 gives property appraisers the authority to reassess the value of property that has been artificially and fraudulently inflated. Mortgage fraud can also be punishable as a felony.
On February 20, 2008, Governor Crist established the HOPE Task Force by Executive Order 08-27 to gather input and recommendations from experts in the mortgage and banking industries, as well as consumer advocates and policy experts, in developing an action plan to address Florida’s escalating foreclosure rate and its impact on Florida’s economy.