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Session Was No Great Success, But Kept Bad Bills Off The Books
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Published: May 3, 2008
The Florida Legislature ended its annual session yesterday following a final week devoted to farewells and back-slapping even as lawmakers acknowledged the tough choices they were forced to make in a brutal budget year.
The $66 billion budget adopted is nearly $7 billion less than the budget funded just two years ago.
Education, social services and health care lost in a big way, with millions stripped from schools, hospitals and nursing homes that will inevitably lead to a loss of jobs as well as services.
Legislators offered a glimmer of hope for families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities, but in the end only were able to provide benefits for a fraction of the children who need treatment. The Legislature did pass a health insurance plan pushed by Gov. Charlie Crist that should enable more people to obtain at least some coverage.
And as for the biggest issues of the last year - rising property taxes and property insurance - the relief promised taxpayers is not likely to materialize.
Lawmakers adopted an energy bill of substance and provided money to continue restoration of the Everglades and to fund the Florida Forever land purchase program. They passed a needed compensation bill that will pay the wrongly incarcerated $50,000 for every year of time served.
Importantly, legislators kept some bad things from happening. They rejected the sweetheart deal offered CSX Transportation that would have held the railroad harmless for commuter rail accidents that are the fault of the railroad. They rightly ignored Senate President Ken Pruitt's desire to usurp the Board of Governors and give politicians control of state universities.
They also defeated retiring Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster's infamous bill that would have forced women seeking an abortion during the first trimester to have a sonogram.
But lawmakers also spent entirely too much time on silly things: trying to find a new state song; attempting to outlaw "droopy drawers," and removing artificial bull testicles from the bumpers of pickup trucks.
But to the substance:
Education
The session will be remembered for what wasn't done to compromise the quality of education in Florida.
Sen. Ronda Storms was rebuked in her effort to infuse religion into lessons on biological evolution. The House also commendably stood strong in blocking Pruitt's vindictive proposal to ask voters to recast the Florida Board of Governors and put state universities under the Legislature's control. It would have been a disaster for higher education - and the state's appeal to the best and the brightest.
Lawmakers did plenty to show the public just why they can't be trusted to have unchecked power over the university system. Sens. Mike Haridopolos and Evelyn Lynn managed to come up with high-paying, do-nothing jobs from the University of Florida and Florida State, respectively. Legislators nearly destroyed the credibility of the Centers of Excellence program by tossing out peer-reviewed research proposals in favor of an energy project whose backers had superior political connections. You can be sure that world-class researchers and technology executives noted the state's disregard for science.
Lawmakers at the last minute did agree on legislation adjusting how Florida judges its high schools by including high school graduation rates as part of the criteria. They also finally passed legislation that directs school districts to create policies to prevent bullying.
Nursing Homes
One of the most disheartening acts was the cutting of safeguards that had been the centerpiece of much-needed nursing home reforms adopted a few years ago. Instead of seeking to provide needed care for those who are frail and needy, Florida cut $164 million in Medicaid reimbursements for nursing homes, rolling back the standards and reneging on a promise to residents and families to better police care in exchange for making it harder to sue negligent homes. The act was shameful.
Insurance
The property insurance crisis lawmakers tried to fix last year continues unabated, and despite assurances of some lawmakers, it is unlikely property owners will see significantly lower rates. The bill prevents rate increases for customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-run company whose existence puts Floridians on the hook for claims in a bad year, until January 2010. It tightens regulations on insurance companies and provides $250 million in loans to try to attract private insurers to the state.
Energy Bill
The Legislature adopted an energy bill that lacked the muscle of Crist's proposal, which would have significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions by adopting strict emission standards for new vehicles and mandating utilities obtain more of their energy from renewable fuels.
Nevertheless, the bill takes a significant step toward cleaning our air and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. It establishes a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases, which will provide an economic incentive for companies to limit emissions.
The legislation also will require power companies to use more renewables, though it put off setting a standard. Crist had wanted a 20 percent requirement. The bill will make the construction of nuclear plants, a clean power source, more economically feasible.
The measure has a few worrisome features, including a provision that makes it easier for power lines to be constructed in state-protected lands. But overall, it sensibly balanced the concerns of consumers, environmentalists and the power industry.
Florida Forever
Lawmakers also deserve praise for extending Florida Forever, the land conservation program, for 10 years. The program, which receives $300 million a year, had been set to expire in 2010 and its future looked uncertain when the House, for a time, eliminated all funding for it in next year's budget.
But fortunately House leaders came to their senses and followed the Senate's lead in bolstering the program aimed at saving Florida's natural beauty.
Such legislative achievements, however, were infrequent during a session where lawmakers often seemed to do their best work by doing nothing at all.
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