Legislation to Assist Military Families Passes Senate Unanimously

From the Senate Dems:

Senate Bill 644 creating the Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Program, passed unanimously off the Senate Floor today. Sponsored by Senator Charlie Justice (D-St. Petersburg), the bill will provide much needed financial assistance to struggling military families by utilizing private donations. Currently, active duty soldiers in Florida’s National Guard cannot accept financial assistance due to federal regulations.

“This is an important bill that will immediately provide some relief for our military families who are struggling through this tough economy,” Senator Justice said. “There are funds available. This bill will allow us to access this money for its intended purpose.”

According to the Department of Military Affairs, there is close to $300,000 of private donations ready to be disbursed. The funds will go to help families of Florida National Guardsmen serving on active duty with living expenses.

“This is a small tweak to current law that will have a huge impact for families that are already making big sacrifices to protect our freedom,” Senator Justice said. “Thank you to the Florida Senate for supporting our troops.”

Worlds Apart

From Loranne Ausley via FDP:

When it comes to public education, supporting our kids and those who teach them; John Thrasher, Jeff Atwater and I are worlds apart.

Their bill, SB 6, is a disturbing attempt to punish good teachers while pretending to stand for accountability -- a fraudulent and reckless act that will devastate our schools and this state.

Since Karen emailed you just a few days ago, thousands of Floridians have contacted their offices and told them: enough is enough!

But even though they received thousands of emails asking them to drop it within hours of their first hearing on the bill -- they are still trying to move forward.

Join me in contacting their offices and tell them that enough is enough! Go to the Florida Democratic Party website to contact Sen. John Thrasher and Sen. Jeff Atwater and tell them to drop this ridiculous power grab now.


We need your help not because of politics, but because this is just bad legislation that will devastate the schools across our state.

Here are just a few examples of what this bill does:


Removes Local Accountability. SB 6 says "political appointees in Tallahassee know best" and removes discretion from principals and locally elected school boards by setting arbitrary standards and policies that punish teachers and kids.
Forces Increases in Local Taxes. Local school districts that choose to allow principals to evaluate teachers will have state funding stripped - forcing a mandatory increase in local taxes to pay for massive reductions in funding for local public schools.
Punishes Good Teachers. The Atwater/Thrasher plan devalues real classroom experience, advanced training (like National Board Certification) and skill building by dedicated educators, making it illegal to evaluate teachers based on how long they have served as an effective teacher or even their experience as an educator.
Punishes Disadvantaged Children. Perhaps the cruelest element of their plan actually encourages teachers to give up on "difficult" or "challenging" children. Under the Atwater/Thrasher bill, teachers who teach "troubled kids" - those kids most likely to have the lowest test scores - are much more likely to face massive pay cuts or be forced out of teaching altogether. Therefore, many teachers will have no choice but to try to have the most challenging kids moved out of their classroom.

This is the kind of power grab and dangerous legislation that will devastate our schools in every community of this state.

Enough is enough! Let Jeff Atwater and John Thrasher know that we need to stop this ridiculous bill now.

As I campaign across Florida, I have been repeatedly asked, "How are you different than Jeff Atwater?" This bill is a perfect example.

When it comes to true accountability in our schools, I believe that local communities, our school boards, and our principals know best.

When it comes to experience and a life-long dedication to teaching, we should be doing everything we can to encourage good teachers to stay in the classroom and not simply slap teachers in the face in order to score some cheap political points.

When it comes to where we spend your tax dollars, I believe we should be making sound long term investments in our future by investing in our public schools, not legislating them into failure.

And, most importantly, when it comes to children who are disadvantaged, we should support every effort to keep these kids in a positive learning environment and not encourage teachers to push them out of classroom.

Join me in contacting Jeff Atwater and John Thrasher and let them know that we need Tallahassee to focus on real reforms to improve our state's public schools by empowering those on the front lines to do what is best for Florida's children.

Thank you for all your help in calling attention to this legislation, and thank you for joining Karen, me, and thousands of Floridians standing up for Florida's children.

Sincerely,

Loranne Ausley

Link

Now Is Not The Time To Secede From Federal Health Care Reform---House Republicans Promote A Bill To Cut Access To Health Care

Two of five Floridians have inadequate access to basic health care;

· 24 Percent of Floridians are uninsured;

· 8 million Floridians are medically disenfranchised;

· Every Florida county is considered medically underserved.


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In an outrageous display of partisanship and insensitivity to the needs of working families, Florida House Republicans will showcase today their latest frivolous attempt to block federal efforts to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured working families and senior citizens.



Only hours ago, members of Congress approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health system. Sunday’s health-care vote is being hailed by many healthcare experts and political leaders as a historic advance in social justice, comparable to the establishment of Social Security and Medicare. The legislation is projected to put pressure on rising health care costs and rein in federal budget deficits.

This afternoon, Florida House Republicans in Tallahassee will promote HJR37, a proposed constitutional amendment to secede from federal efforts to reform the nation’s health care system. Seriously deceptive and flawed in its design, the unconstitutional Republican legislation sets the groundwork for any number of future efforts to cut senior citizens access to health care.

“House Republican leaders are once again siding with special interests and trying to kill major health care reforms approved by Congress,” said House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands. “Floridians will reject any attempt to destroy important federal health programs like Medicare, Social Security, and the changes passed by Congress this week. The Republicans’ scare tactics have failed before and their scare tactics will fail again.”

Floridians will embrace the federal health care reforms when they realize the effects, some of which will occur this year. Health insurers, for example, would not be able to deny coverage to children with medical problems or suddenly drop coverage for people who become ill. Insurers must allow children to stay on their parents’ policies until they turn 26. Small businesses could obtain tax credits to help them buy insurance for workers.

For more information about how the federal health care reform legislation will affect you, consider visiting this link to The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/21/us/health-care-reform.html


According to Organizing For America, a grassroots effort of the Democratic National Committee, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Reconciliation Act of 2010, which are expected to be signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday, will offer immediate benefits to millions of Americans through key provisions, including these:

1. SMALL BUSINESS TAX CREDITS -- Offers tax credits to small businesses to make employee coverage more affordable. Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage. Effective beginning for calendar year 2010. (Beginning in 2014, the small business tax credits will cover 50 percent of premiums.)

2. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE-Provides a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010. Effective for calendar year 2010. (Beginning in 2011, institutes a 50% discount on brand-name drugs in the donut hole; also completely closes the donut hole by 2020.)

3. FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER MEDICARE-Eliminates copayments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program. Effective beginning January 1, 2011.

4. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES-Creates a temporary insurance program (until the Exchanges are available) to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees for health benefits for retirees age 55to 64. Effective 90 days after enactment.

5. ENDS RESCISSIONS-Bans insurance companies from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Effective 6 months after enactment.

6. NO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN WITH PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS-Prohibits new health plans in all markets plus grandfathered group health plans from denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions. Effective 6 months after enactment. (Beginning in 2014, this prohibition would apply to all persons.)

7. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE-Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage. Effective 6 months after enactment.

8. BANS RESTRICTIVE ANNUAL LIMITS ON COVERAGE-Tightly restricts the use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care in all new plans and grandfathered group health plans. These tight restrictions will be defined by HHS. Effective 6 months after enactment. (Beginning in 2014, the use of any annual limits would be prohibited for all new plans and grandfathered group health plans.)

9. FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER NEW PRIVATE PLANS-Requires new private plans to cover preventive services with no copayments and with preventive services being exempt from deductibles. Effective 6 months after enactment.

10. NEW, INDEPENDENT APPEALS PROCESS-Ensures consumers in new plans have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal decisions by their health insurance plan. Effective 6 months after enactment.

11. ENSURING VALUE FOR PREMIUM PAYMENTS-Requires plans in the individual and small group market to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on medical services, and plans in the large group market to spend 85 percent. Insurers that do not meet these thresholds must provide rebates to policyholders. Effective on January 1, 2011.

12. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH RISK POOL)-Provides immediate access to affordable insurance for Americans who are uninsured because of a preexisting condition through a temporary subsidized high risk pool. Effective 90 days after enactment.

13. EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 26TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENTS' INSURANCE - Requires new health plans and certain grandfathered plans to allow young people up to their 26th birthday to remain on their parents' insurance policy, at the parents' choice. Effective 6 months after enactment.

14. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS-Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for nearly a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

15. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS-Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

16. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SALARY-Prohibits group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees. Effective 6 months after enactment.

17. HEALTH INSURANCE CONSUMER INFORMATION-Provides aid to states in establishing offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals with the filing of complaints and appeals. Effective beginning in FY 2010.

18. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM-Creates a long term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide home and community-based services to adults who become functionally disabled. Effective on January 1, 2011.

From the Blogs

The latest stories from the Florida blogs (and beyond) about Florida Democrats.

Saint Petersblog: Does Al Lawson deserve credit for Allen Boyd's vote on Health Care Reform?

Saint Petersblog: Rep. Janet Long's bill to boost tax haul for rooms booked online meets stiff resistance

The Reid Report: Alex Sink’s got a business plan for Florida … Bill McCollum: not so much

Progress Florida: Representative Suzanne Kosmas: Listen to us, not the insurance companies

The Reid Report: In case you missed it: the Alan Grayson comedy hour, ‘Wild Alaskan dingbat’ edition

Pensito Review: Grayson: ‘Palin is a Chillbilly and the Smartest Leader from the GOP since George W. Bush’

litbrit: Your Monday motivation: Bend it like Grayson

Saint Petersblog: Lori Edwards, but not Charlie Justice, make DCCC's "Red to Blue" program

Saint Petersblog: PolitiFact rules "True" on Justice's statement about the GOP-controlled legislature raising taxes

Pensito Review: Poll Shows “Most Vulnerable” Democrat is Popular with Republicans

Eye on Miami: White Guy is Running for the Meek Seat in Congress

Saint Petersblog: Does Dave Aronberg really want to be Charlie Crist's rockstar anymore?

Bilerico Project Florida: Florida Lawmaker Introduces "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Measure

Equality Florida: EQFL Joins Rep. Kriseman in his call to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

The Campaign Manager: Lawyer to Lawyer Letter from Sandy D'Alemberte

The Reid Report: Wasserman-Schultz, DNC blast Florida Republican Party, call for special prosecutor

Clean Up City of St. Augustine Florida: Folio Weekly: Backpage Editorial by Faye Armitage -- "SAVING ST. AUGUSTINE"

FLA Politics: Bill Nelson: Friend to Spammers

The Reid Report: Latest Herald column: ‘yawn of a new era’

Eye on Miami: Alex Sink: won't swim in the deep end of the pool

Rep. Alan Grayson: Vote Now on the Public Option

Kendrick Meek's Statement on Today's Unemployment Rate Announcement

Miami Gardens, Fla. - U.S. Democratic Senate Candidate Kendrick Meek responded to today's announcement by the Florida Agency of Workforce Innovation that Florida's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose to 12.2 percent in February.

"Floridians don't need monthly unemployment figures to know that our state is hurting. Compared to other states, we are leaders in unemployment and laggards in deploying critical Recovery Act dollars meant for our communities. Other states are beginning their economic recovery, but Florida is lagging behind. The status quo is not working for Floridians and I am working to bring new, long term jobs to Florida," said Kendrick Meek, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

Thurman Applauds Democrats for Passing Health Insurance Reform

Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman today released the following statement following the historic vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to pass comprehensive health insurance reform.

"Today we made history. President Obama and Democrats in Congress achieved what Presidents since Teddy Roosevelt have attempted - to pass comprehensive health insurance reform to help the American people. This is a victory for all Floridians. With this landmark legislation, we will have a health care system that works for Floridians, not insurance companies.

"Health insurance reform will provide unprecedented protections for every American consumer and will put health care decisions back into the hands of families, not insurance companies. American families will feel the impact of this legislation immediately. Insurance companies will no longer be permitted to deny coverage to children and adults due to a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies will no longer be permitted to kick students off of their parent's health insurance when they reach the age of 26. And insurance companies will no longer be permitted to drop insurance for hard-working people all across the country because they get sick.

"This legislation is the single greatest deficit reduction package since President Clinton's 1993 budget, which ushered in an era of budget surpluses and economic growth. It will reduce the deficit by over a trillion dollars in the next twenty years and put us back on a path to fiscal responsibility, all while providing coverage to 95 percent of all Americans.

"Today, Floridians thank President Obama and Democrats for their strong leadership, commitment to the middle class and continued work to make America a better place. This reform will better the lives of millions of Americans, and for that Democrats should be commended."

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Reconciliation Act of 2010, which are expected to be signed into law by President Obama within days, will offer immediate benefits to millions of Americans through key provisions including:

1. SMALL BUSINESS TAX CREDITS-Offers tax credits to small businesses to make employee coverage more affordable. Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage. Effective beginning for calendar year 2010. (Beginning in 2014, the small business tax credits will cover 50 percent of premiums.)

2. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE-Provides a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010. Effective for calendar year 2010. (Beginning in 2011, institutes a 50% discount on brand‐name drugs in the donut hole; also completely closes the donut hole by 2020.)

3. FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER MEDICARE-Eliminates co‐payments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program. Effective beginning January 1, 2011.

4. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES-Creates a temporary re‐insurance program (until the Exchanges are available) to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees for health benefits for retirees age 55‐64. Effective 90 days after enactment.

5. ENDS RESCISSIONS-Bans insurance companies from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Effective 6 months after enactment.

6. NO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHILDREN WITH PRE‐EXISTING CONDITIONS-Prohibits new health plans in all markets plus grandfathered group health plans from denying coverage to children with pre‐existing conditions. Effective 6 months after enactment. (Beginning in 2014, this prohibition would apply to all persons.)

7. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE-Prohibits health insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on coverage. Effective 6 months after enactment.

8. BANS RESTRICTIVE ANNUAL LIMITS ON COVERAGE-Tightly restricts the use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care in all new plans and grandfathered group health plans. These tight restrictions will be defined by HHS. Effective 6 months after enactment. (Beginning in 2014, the use of any annual limits would be prohibited for all new plans and grandfathered group health plans.)

9. FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER NEW PRIVATE PLANS-Requires new private plans to cover preventive services with no co‐payments and with preventive services being exempt from deductibles. Effective 6 months after enactment.

10. NEW, INDEPENDENT APPEALS PROCESS-Ensures consumers in new plans have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal decisions by their health insurance plan. Effective 6 months after enactment.

11. ENSURING VALUE FOR PREMIUM PAYMENTS-Requires plans in the individual and small group market to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on medical services, and plans in the large group market to spend 85 percent. Insurers that do not meet these thresholds must provide rebates to policyholders. Effective on January 1, 2011.

12. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH‐RISK POOL)-Provides immediate access to affordable insurance for Americans who are uninsured because of a pre‐existing condition ‐ through a temporary subsidized high‐risk pool. Effective 90 days after enactment.

13. EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 26TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENTS' INSURANCE - Requires new health plans and certain grandfathered plans to allow young people up to their 26th birthday to remain on their parents' insurance policy, at the parents' choice. Effective 6 months after enactment.

14. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS-Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for nearly a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

15. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS-Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

16. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SALARY-Prohibits group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees. Effective 6 months after enactment.

17. HEALTH INSURANCE CONSUMER INFORMATION-Provides aid to states in establishing offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals with the filing of complaints and appeals. Effective beginning in FY 2010.

18. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG‐TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM-Creates a long‐term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide home and community-based services to adults who become functionally disabled. Effective on January 1, 2011.