My office staff and I welcome your contact regarding any issue that is important to you. As always, I consider it a pleasure to serve you, and the people of our district.
I also encourage you to visit “Online Sunshine,” the official website of your Florida Legislature. At http://www.leg.state.fl.us/ you’ll find links to both the Senate and the House websites. The site also provides links to Florida Statutes and other governmental information and entities. There is also a link to kid’s pages that are designed to educate young ones about how our state government works.
Weekly Wrap-up
End of Week Update – Week Seven
April 20, 2009
The full Florida House met this past week to debate and pass our budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. We have not undertaken this task lightly. The decisions made in Florida’s $65 billion budget were made to help Florida’s economy recover quickly and to better position Florida above other states to benefit from the eventual turnaround in the economy. Our focus remains on recharging Florida’s economy and helping create jobs for Floridians. To that end, even in the face of historic budget deficits, the House has proposed a responsible state budget that reflects Florida’s economic realities without penalizing Florida’s families and businesses.
PRESERVING CORE MISSIONS: House Members are constitutionally mandated to balance the budget. Over the course of the Session, we have reviewed the state budget line-by-line and have examined state government spending to make sure that we are focusing on the core missions of government and finding ways to make government more efficient and effective. House Republicans accomplished this in the face of an unprecedented $6.4 billion deficit.
FEDERAL STIMULUS: Millions of Americans marked this week by filing their federal tax returns. It is this very money that comprises the federal stimulus sent to the states by Washington. In fact, every state in the nation has decided to put to use the stimulus dollars. House Republicans recognize that the federal stimulus funds are not “free” money but rather the product of hard work and sacrifice by real people in Florida and across America. With that in mind, the House has used federal stimulus dollars thoughtfully and responsibly. Likewise, House Republicans realize that these federal dollars are not a silver bullet to solving Florida’s budget problems. The state’s budget problems will only be solved by strengthening Florida’s economy and helping create jobs for Floridians.
EMPOWERING TAXPAYERS: On Tuesday, the House Economic Development & Community Affairs Policy Council unanimously passed House Bill 971, known as the Florida Transparency Act. The measure will allow citizens to track their tax dollars online and will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation. The website would provide information on the date, amount, and source of every expenditure, affording Floridians an unprecedented level of access to information on government spending. Underscoring this legislation is our fundamental belief that every dollar the government spends is a dollar out of your pocket and you should have the tool to know how your money is being spent.
PROTECTING FREE SPEECH: On Thursday, the House passed House Bill 949 that protects Floridians from libel lawsuits filed in foreign courts, often by individuals with known ties to terrorist organizations like al Qaeda and Hamas. Underscoring my belief in freedom of speech, this bill supports both freedom of speech and freedom of the press by closing a loophole in the law which gives supporters of such organizations an opportunity to suppress their critics from speaking out. This is a common-sense measure which I am proud to support.
GIVING PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS NEEDED FLEXIBILITY: In 2002, Florida voters approved an amendment to the Florida constitution to reduce class size. Florida students benefitted from smaller classrooms and test scores improved. That said, Florida’s struggling economy placed a difficult financial burden on Florida schools and the amendment became too difficult to implement. To address this new reality, the House passed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 919 on Friday. If the Joint Resolution is passed by the Legislature, voters will have the opportunity to support this common-sense revision that will keep class sizes small in Florida while giving principals and teachers the flexibility they need to maximize student learning in their schools and classrooms.
Suggestions and Public Appearances
I and my staff use the newsletter as a cost-effective tool to keep you in touch with what is happening in your State and in your Florida Legislature. We welcome all suggestions and comments. Do not hesitate to contact my District Office to let us know of issues you are concerned about and would like us to address in this newsletter.
As my schedule allows, I am happy to speak at local community events or groups about issues of interest. My Legislative Assistant, Ray Walker, or my Secretary, Mary Katherine Peebles, will be happy to work with you in making such arrangements.
Utilizing email as a newsletter distribution tool is a fiscally-responsible means to distribute information to my constituency about what is going on in their Florida Legislature.
Please feel free to e-mail The Ford Update to your friends and relatives. Alternatively, please let others know they can be added to my email list by going to www.gulf1.com/ford.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any of your needs or concerns. My district office is open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is:
1804 West Garden St.
Pensacola, FL 32502
(850) 595-5550
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