MARCH 2009

We just concluded the third week of the 2009 regular legislative session. I am proud to say I was able to get my first filed bill through its first two committees, HB 293, relating to motor vehicle sale, and my mental health and substance abuse bill through its first committee. I have been fortunate that of the six bills that I’ve filed so far, three have been referred to committees. I will keep you updated as these bills make their way through the various stages.

This week the legislature also welcomed members from various Broward County organizations during Broward Days 2009. Despite a very tight schedule of committee meetings and caucuses, I made every effort to meet with everyone who requested an appointment with me, and I would like to thank everyone again for dropping in, as I believe that local government and community leaders are the eyes and ears of the community.

Also, this week I was invited by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to their Media Conference in support of lifting the civil rights ban and employment barriers for men and women who have served their sentences and are looking for a chance to become meaningful and gainfully integrated into society.

With more than 250,000 Floridians losing their jobs and countless others in jeopardy of being laid off, we are working diligently and looking at opportunities to fully fund education and provide flexibility to local government to keep people working, and to fund projects that will put more people to work.

As many of you know, there are more than fourteen billion dollars coming from Washington, D.C. These are monies to help cover uninsured children and adults’ basic health coverage. It’s money to provide for education, workforce training and investment in emerging industry. These funds will help us grow jobs. It’s your money! This is money that President Barack Obama and Congress have envisioned to give a lift to states like ours.

While Florida Democrats applaud Governor Charlie Crist for showing courage in writing a budget that puts federal stimulus dollars to work, I believe that using the economic recovery funds will be a win-win for everyone, especially our children, the uninsured, and Floridians worried about their jobs. We can turn this economy around by funding projects that will generate retail activities and recurring dollars from sales tax and documentary stamps revenues generated from the construction and housing industries.

We must take immediate actions on our shared goals of putting Floridians back to work, by preparing our workforce for the varied opportunities, and equity in distribution of resources.

COMMUNITY EVENTS :

Finally, a number of community events are being planned in District 94 upon my return from session. Among them are:

An economic summit that will deal with the stimulus funds and how they will be distributed to the various entities. We have invited representatives from the various agencies to talk about their plans for use of these funds.

A Vision Summit which will involve mainly children identified by their schools based on need.

Annual Mayor & Commissioners for a day.

We completed our 2nd quarter District Mayors’ Roundtable. The information gathered is of significant importance as we go forward in this legislative session, and in preparing District 94 for the important upcoming census process.

Finally, March 23-April 17th is a critical period of the session. I asked that you give me a call at 954-497-3367 with your recommendations, because your voice is important in the legislative process.