AFSCME Florida Council 79
2005 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

AFSCME staff members lobbying the 2005 Florida Legislature are on the job and working diligently for working families in the Sunshine State. The following are some of the issues at the top of the AFSCME watch list: 

     STATE EMPLOYEES have the distinction of being one the most productive work forces in the country.   The dubious honor results from the Bush administration’s unmitigated actions to decrease the number of Florida state workers in the face of one of the fastest growing populations in one of the largest states in the country.  Meanwhile, line Career Service workers are among the lowest paid in the country. State workers have, over the years, seen wages and benefit levels decline and fail to keep pace with even small cost of living increases. AFSCME is pushing to gain an “across the board” salary increase which would make up in part for the aforementioned  lost ground ($2,000 minimum or 5%) with an effective July ’05 effective date. 

     HEALTH INSURANCE is a “make it or break it” concern for working families. Employees are seeing increasing deductibles, co-pays and premiums (Career employees pay an increasing percentage of their premiums, while managers, supervisors, Legislators and their staff pay nothing toward their healthcare coverage). Administration proposals to breakup the State Group Insurance Plan by offering “Health Service Accounts”, even with an employer/employee savings match, as a trade-off to higher deductibles must be resisted.  

PER DIEM/TRAVEL RATES for state workers are at same level as ‘80s. Counties, Cities and School Board per diem and travel rates were increased two years ago. State workers shouldn’t have to subsidize their required work away from home base. These rates should be increased.  And, Child protective service workers are called all hours to transport clients, the car insurance for those employee’s subsidy should be continued and expanded. 

     FLORIDA RETIREMENT SYSTEM (FRS) may see political considerations. AFSCME has had Legislation introduced to allow for full retirement at 25 years of service/age 50 with no penalty.  No group has been hit harder by rising healthcare costs than retirees. It is only fair and reasonable that the Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy formula should be increased. 

     BUDGET/APPROPRIATIONS matters are an issue in every Legislative Session. State full time equivalent positions should be fully funded and filled, along with adequate funding to maintain programs and services. State University core funding should be increased without supplanting of allocated Lottery dollars. The Article 5 Constitutional Amendment that has the state picking up Court costs should be funded without shifting State Juvenile Justice programs and costs to Counties. K12 funding inequities created at the expense of school districts in Dade, Volusia, Polk and Duval must be picked up. Further there should additional help in formulas for both growth and hurricane damage. 

     PRIVATIZATION is/has been a failure in state government. Excesses, fraud, cost overruns and service failures as seen in state contracts with Convergys, Accenture and Bearing Point must be rectified at no cost to state or workers. Contracts should be terminated or re-negotiated with severe penalties to those vendors and agency staff that could not perform adequately. AFSCME supports tough ethics and procurement standards with prohibitions on employee/vendor revolving door-type actions. Prohibition of  “offshoring” of state/local government jobs/services and citizen/consumer protections against misuse of personal information by call centers is being sought by AFSCME.

 HEALTH CARE is extremely important to working families and efforts by state leaders to privatize Medicaid or reduce services to vulnerable populations are ill conceived and not cost saving. The self insured State Group Insurance Plan should be opened to all local government entities to produce savings of scale on a statewide affordable, quality program.

TAXES. AFSCME will oppose attempts to increase corporate giveaways, through voucher credits and other business tax avoidance loopholes, as well tax/spending limitations that fail to provide for growth. Florida’s Sales Tax Exemptions should be reviewed for equity and good public policy considerations. Tax Holidays should empower and benefit only Florida residents. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS must be observed closely. The will of the voters on “Minimum Wage” and “Class Size” Amendments should not be diminished by the Governor or Legislature. Further restrictions on citizen input and votes should be resisted. AFSCME will support Amendments to have Redistricting lines drawn by a nonpartisan commission and also a “FAIR” Sales Tax Exemption Review.

ELECTIONS in Florida have national implications. AFSCME supports meaningful access to the ballot box, the expansion of “Early Vote” locations and weekend times, increased protection against Voter intimidation, and greater accountability in electronic balloting, including requiring a “Paper Trail.”  AFSCME will urge Legislators to clarify Provisional Ballot usage at the County rather than Precinct level, and will support legislation to protect the integrity of the absentee ballot process.

 

Pending Legislation:  

Governor Jeb Bush has submitted Legislation, to be known as A++, that increases the use of school vouchers by targeting students who do not achieve grade level reading scores in three consecutive years. The statewide voucher initiative from the original A+ program is currently pending before the State Supreme Court.

Administration proposals to privatize Medicaid have been met with client and advocacy group resistance in various Select Legislative Committee Hearings around the state. The proposals also generated skepticism by both House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Key issues raised are lack of specificity in the proposals and questionable projected savings given rising private insurance costs. AFSCME has gotten HB 419 and a Senate companion filed to require tracking of public and private employers with workers receiving Medicaid assistance.

The Broward and Dade Counties implementing Referendum that was held on March 8, allowing slots at horse and dog tracks and Jai Alai Frontons has already generated Legislative proposals on how and where monies would be allocated to education. The referendum passed in Broward County but failed in Dade. School Boards, PTAs, Mayors, the Governor and law enforcement agencies have opposed the referendum’s passage.

Senate Bill 268 (Elections/Early Voting) changes the day on which early voting ends from Monday before Election to Friday before Election. The bill passed in the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee and is now ready for Floor Calendar.

Senate Bill 190 (Student Loans/Attorneys) provides for a financial assistance program administered by Justice Administrative Commission to provide assistance to qualified assistant state attorneys & assistant public defenders for repayment of eligible student loans, defines terms and program elements, and provides funding. The bill has passed in the Senate Governmental Oversight and Productivity Committee. Its next stop is the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is similar to House Bill 169.

Senate Bill 1424 (Florida Retirement System/Normal Retirement Date & Age) redefines terms "normal retirement date" & 'normal retirement age for a specified period to allow normal retirement after 25 years of service & attainment of age 50. The bill limits participation in Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) and authorizes the state to purchase annuities for certain state personnel.

House Bill 415 (Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy) provides definitions and revises provisions for the determination of the amount of subsidy for retirees of defined benefit program of the Florida Retirement System or their beneficiaries. Similar to Senate Bill 992.

House Bill 195 (Election Dates/ Teacher Planning Day/Polling Place) requires each county election supervisor to submit calendar of election dates to district school boards and requires teacher planning days to coincide with election dates for schools to be made available as polling places. Senate Bill 1198 is similar.

House Bill 227 (Ms. Willie Ann Glenn Act) requires each school district to develop a plan to sponsor summer nutrition programs. It provides criteria for operating program sites; authorizes exemption from sponsoring said programs and provides procedures therefore. It authorizes superintendents of schools to collaborate with specified agencies to implement said programs.  Senate Bill 752 similar.