Board of Directors Meeting

January 10, 2019

Legislative Report Item V.B.

Recommended Action: Information Only

Strategic Plan Alignment: Administration

State

Executive Branch

Governor’s Transition Team

Incoming Governor Ron DeSantis named four leaders to spearhead the transition for his new administration. Chairing the transition team are Congressman , former state House Speaker Richard Corcoran, former U.S. Senator George LeMieux and former Lieutenant Governor . Gaetz is a former state legislator from Fort Walton Beach. LeMieux served as chief of staff to former Governor , who appointed LeMieux to the U.S. Senate. Jennings, a lieutenant governor under former Governor , also served two terms as state Senate president. Governor DeSantis took office January 8, 2019, succeeding . DeSantis’ campaign chair, Susie Wiles, will serve as Executive Director and Scott Parkinson, will join the team as Deputy Executive Director.

Governor DeSantis Announces Appointments

A new Governor has the responsibility to make numerous appointments to a variety of advisory boards, councils, committees, governing boards, and task forces. The appointments within the Executive Office of the Governor serve exclusively at the pleasure of the governor. Most agency and department heads serve at the pleasure of the governor, but their appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate. Additionally, the incoming Governor may withdraw appointments made by an outgoing Governor, which are subject to Senate confirmation that has not occurred. Governor DeSantis announces the following appointments: Executive Office of the Governor Appointee Past Position Approval/Confirmation Governor Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel Casey Family Programs Pleasure of the Governor Fmr. Chief Inspector General Gov. Crist 2007 - 2011 Gov. Scott 2011 - 2017 Chief Legal Advisor Joe Jocquot Partner Folley & Lardner Fmr. Chief Dep. Attorney General AG Bill McCollum Chief of Staff Shane Strum Senior Vice President Pleasure of the Governor South Florida Memoria Health Care System Fmr. Chief of Staff to Gov. Crist Deputy Chiefs of Staff James Blair Frm. Advisor to Richard Pleasure of the Governor Andrian Lukis Corcoran Fmr. Aide to House Speaker Olivia Director of Communications Helen Aguirre Ferre Fmr. Director of Pleasure of the Governor White House Media President Trump Director of Office of Policy & Cynthia Kelly Currently serves Pleasure of the Governor Budget Division of Emergency Jared Moskowitz State Representative Pleasure of the Governor Management 2012-2018 State Agencies & Departments Governor Appointee Past Position Approval/Confirmation Agency for Health Care TBD Senate Administration Agency for Persons With TBD Senate Disabilities Dept. of Children and Families TBD Senate Dept. of Corrections TBD Senate Dept. of Education Richard Corcoran State Representative 2010-2018 State Board of Education Speaker 2016-18 Approved 12/17/18 Dept. of Economic Opportunity Ken Lawson Fmr. Visit Florida, Executive Senate Director Dept. of Elder Affairs (DOEA) Richard Prudom Deputy Secretary and Fmr. Chief of Staff at DOEA Dept. of Environmental TBD Senate Protection Dept. of Health TBD Senate Dept. of Highway Safety & TBD Cabinet Motor Vehicles Dept. of Law TBD Cabinet Enforcement Dept. of Lottery Jim Poppel Currently serves Cabinet Dept. of Revenue (DOR) Jim Zingale, Ph.D. Safety Net Hospitals Alliance Cabinet Fmr. DOR Deputy Director and Executive Director to Gov. Chiles Dept. of State TBD Senate Dept. of Veteran Affairs Danny Burgess State Representative 2014-2018 Senate

Supreme Court Nominees

Due to reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70, Supreme Court Justices , R. Fred Lewis, and , must leave the court on January 8, 2019. The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission has certified the list below to Governor DeSantis that includes seven appellate court judges, two trial court judges, and two other lawyers. The Governor has 60 days to make the appointments.

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Circuit Judge Bruce Kyle, 49, of Lee County. Kyle served four terms as a Republican lawmaker in the state House before winning election to the trial court in 2006.

Carlos G. Muniz, 49, who was appointed as U.S. Department of Education general counsel by President Donald Trump. Muniz also served as a deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Attorney General . He worked as a lawyer and deputy chief of staff in the Florida House and as a deputy general counsel to Bush.

Jonathan Gerber, 50, the chief judge on the West Palm Beach-based 4th District Court of Appeal. He is also a former circuit and county judge.

Jamie Rutland Grosshans, 39, a judge on the Daytona Beach-based 5th District Court of Appeal. She is a former assistant state attorney and county judge.

Jeffrey T. Kuntz, 37, a judge on the West Palm Beach-based 4th District Court of Appeal.

Timothy Osterhaus, 47, a judge on the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal. He is also a former solicitor general in Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office.

Samuel Salario, 47, a judge on the Lakeland-based 2nd District Court of Appeal.

Anuraag Singhal, 54, a circuit judge in Broward County.

John D. Couriel, 40, a partner in the law firm of Kobre & Kim in Miami. He is a former federal prosecutor.

Barbara Lagoa, 50, chief judge-elect on the Miami-based 3rd District Court of Appeal. She is a former federal prosecutor.

Robert J. Luck, 39, a judge on the Miami-based 3rd District Court of Appeal. He is a former circuit judge and federal prosecutor.

Legislative Branch

House Leadership 2019-2020 Representative MaryLynn Magar, (R- Martin) House Speaker Pro Tempore Representative Dane Eagle, (R- Lee) Majority Leader Representative Chris Sprowls, (R-Pinellas) Chair of the Rules Committee Representative Kionne L. McGhee (D-Miami-Dade) Democratic Leader

House Committee Structure

The House Economic Affairs Committee, included in the committee structure of the House Provisional Rules adopted during Organization Session, has been eliminated and its subcommittees placed under other committees. The Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee

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now falls under the State Affairs Committee, and the Workforce Development & Tourism Subcommittee has moved under the Commerce Committee.

Committee Assignments of Pinellas County House Members

Below are the committee assignments of Representatives on the Pinellas Legislative Delegation. The committees in bold italics indicate content areas monitored by the JWB Public Policy Unit:

Representative Ben Diamond, (D-68) Insurance & Banking Subcommittee; Judiciary Committee; Civil Justice Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee

Representative Nick DiCeglie (R-66) PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee; Justice Appropriations Subcommittee; Civil Justice Subcommittee; Health & Human Services Committee; State Affairs Committee; Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee

Representative James Grant (R-64) Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee; Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee (Vice Chair); Oversight, Transparency & Public Management Subcommittee; Judiciary Committee; Criminal Justice Subcommittee (Chair); Joint Administrative Procedures Committee

Representative Christ Latvala, (R-67) Education Committee (Vice Chair); PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee (Vice Chair); State Affairs Committee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee (Chair)

Representative Wengay Newton (D-70) Business & Professions Subcommittee; Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee; Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

Representative Chris Sprowls, (R-65) [Speaker Designate 2021- 2022] Appropriations Committee; Rules Committee (Chair)

Representative Jennifer Webb (D-69) Criminal Justice Subcommittee; PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee; Commerce Committee; Gaming Control Subcommittee

Senate Leadership 2019-2020

Senator David Simmons (R-Seminole) Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Passidomo. (R-Collier) Majority Leader Senator Rob Bradley, (R-Orange) Chair of the Committee on Appropriations Senator Benacquisto, (R-Lee) Chair of the Committee on Rules Senator Audrey Gibson (D-Duval) Leader of Senate Democratic Caucus

Senate Committee Structure

Senate President Bill Galvano announced the committee structure and assignments for the 2019 regular legislative session. A departure from previous committee structures, the Committee on

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Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities and the Committee on Regulated Industries are combined to form the Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology, which will be chaired by Senator Simpson, (R- Pasco).

Structurally, the Committee on Appropriations reverts to the smaller subcommittee format utilized during the 2014-16 legislative term: • Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 Education are combined as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. • Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources are combined as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government. • Committee on Finance and Tax is a standing committee, rather than an Appropriations Subcommittee.

Committee Assignments of Pinellas County Senators

Below are the committee assignments of Senators on the Pinellas Legislative Delegation. The committees in bold italics indicate content areas monitored by the JWB Public Policy Unit:

Senator Jeff Brandes (R- 24) Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice, Chair; Criminal Justice, Vice Chair Appropriations and Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Banking and Insurance; Innovation, Industry, and Technology; Rules; Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, Alternate Chair and; Joint Legislative Budget Commission

Senator Ed Hooper (R-16) Governmental Oversight and Accountability, Chair; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Health Policy; Infrastructure and Security; Joint Administrative Procedures Committee; and Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining Alternate Chair

Senator Darryl Rouson (D-19) Banking and Insurance, Vice Chair; Appropriations; Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; and Health Policy

2018- 2019 Interim Committee and Session Schedule

December 2018 – Week of the 11th January 2019 – Week of the 7th January 2019 – *Week of the 22nd February 2019 – Week of the 4th February 2019 – Week of the 11th February 2019 – *Week of the 19th *Meetings begin on Tuesday due to federal holidays on Monday that week

The 2019 Session convenes on March 5, 2019 and runs through May 3, 2019.

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State Budget Forecast

In early December, a Senate Appropriations committee heard that a potential surplus of more than $220-million had likely disappeared for the FY 2019-2020 budget due to the impact of Hurricane Michael. By mid-December, the outlook shifted to the positive with budget analysts projecting a significant increase in state revenue over two years.

The state’s general revenue projections are up by $842 million over two years. The Revenue Estimating Conference credits a recent surge in sales tax and corporate income-tax collections for the increase. The new estimates show the state should collect an additional $1.48 billion in general revenue in the current 2018-2019 fiscal year, a 4.8 percent increase over the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The new 2019-2020 general revenue projection is 3.1 percent, or $1.01 billion, higher than this year.

Pinellas Legislative Delegation Meeting

The first delegation meeting was held on December 18, 2018 from 9AM – noon at St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus. The second delegation meeting is slated for February, with the date, time, and location to be determined. The agendas are posted on the Pinellas Legislative Delegation webpage hosted by Pinellas County government.

Federal

Farm Bill Update

The Senate approved the Conference Report on a vote of 87 -13 and the House passed the measure on a vote of 369 – 47. The compromise Farm Bill avoids major changes to food stamps and commodity policy that could have jeopardized its chances of clearing Congress before the end of the year. Current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy will essentially be left in place, although the bill does make some administrative changes designed to reduce improper payments in the program. The final bill also sidesteps a Senate attempt to tighten limits on subsidies for wealthier farmers. President Trump signed the five-year bill and announced a new rule from the Department of Agriculture that aims to more strictly enforce existing work requirements under the SNAP program.

The legislation has an estimated cost of $867 billion over ten years. The SNAP provision assists nearly 40 million low-income Americans buy groceries, and accounts for more than 75 percent of the Farm Bill's total cost. According to Congressional Budget Office projections, the original House version of the bill included stricter SNAP work requirements and tightened eligibility standards that would have dropped about 1.5 million people from the program. Expanded work requirements would have led to a cut of some $9 billion in SNAP benefits over a decade, and the House bill called for using that money to fund a massive expansion of state-run SNAP employment and job-training efforts.

Staff Resource: Debra A. Prewitt Resources: Lobbytools.com, The News Service of Florida, and Politico.com

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