Dear Neighbor,

I spent three weeks in Tallahassee this month for committee meetings on legislation and working on the 2010-2011 budget. Session begins next week and is scheduled to end April 30th. Those 60 days will move pretty quickly, and I hope to continue to update you on what is going on in Tallahassee.

The Legislature is taking a very systematic approach when reviewing and creating the budget. Every member who serves on an appropriations committee has been asked to perform a series of budget prioritization exercises. In the first exercise, members were asked to select their budget priorities for the respective agencies their committee oversees. In the second exercise, we were asked to reduce the budget by cutting programs until we met the goal amount. In the third exercise, members were asked to rank the remaining programs that were not selected in the first two exercises. These exercises will give a better idea of what programs should be a priority for our state, and what programs we might be able to live without.

I welcome your feedback on bills that are moving through the legislature, or on any other issue that concerns you. As always, it is a pleasure to serve you, and I look forward to hearing your comments and concerns.

Warm Regards,
Chris


Legislation Spotlight



Representative Dorworth is a co-sponsor on some important bills moving through the Legislature this Spring. Below are some highlights:





HJR 37, Regarding Health Care Services, by Representative Plakon- Proposes a constitutional amendment that prohibits any law from compelling a person or employer from participating in a health care system




HB 93, Cost and Benefit Analysis of Legislation, by Representative Crisafulli- allows legislative leadership to request a cost and benefit analysis be performed on legislation


HB 421, Immigration, by Representative Adkins- requires verification of citizenship status in certain situations, including Lottery prize winnings, public employment, driver's licenses, state financial aid, state assistance, and other situations

For more information on these bills, or other legislation moving through the Florida Legislature, please visit www.myfloridahouse.gov.



This Month in Tallahassee


Below is a brief report of some of the happenings in Tallahassee this past month:

HB 7033, Unemployment Compensation, was heard in Economic Development & Community Affairs Policy Council and Finance & Tax Council. This legislation establishes temporary state extended benefits for unemployment and reduces the unemployment compensation tax on small businesses temporarily. HB 7033 is expected to be taken up the first week of Session.
The House PreK-12 Policy Committee passed legislation in their committee to increase education standards. This bill specifies Geometry & Algebra II as two of the four math credits required to graduate high school, and Biology I and chemistry or physics as two of the three science credits needed. This bill also eliminated 10th grade FCAT Math & Science tests and replaces them with end of course assessments in Algebra I, geometry and biology.
The Governor released his proposed budget this month. To view the Governor's proposed budget, visit http://www.ebudget.state.fl.us/. The House and Senate started work on their budgets, using the second week of February for appropriations committees.



Visitors in Tallahassee


If you will be visiting the Capitol during session or committee weeks, please contact our Tallahassee office and let us know. Representative Dorworth is always happy to greet his constituents in Tallahassee and hear their concerns.

We had visitors this month from the Orlando Sanford International Airport, the Orange & Seminole County Food Service Association, UCF and constituents representing the American Cancer Society and assisted living facilities. If you wish to meet with Rep. Dorworth during your visit to Tallahassee, please call the Tallahassee office at (850) 488-5843.