SCHOOL SERVICE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
The School Service Accountability Act (HB 217 by Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Lauderdale, and SB 1194 by Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami) would mandate privatization study in each school district as well as request for proposals to go on support services of transportation, food service and janitorial/maintenance.
The SSAA passed out of the House Fiscal Responsibility Council with a big push from the Republican Leadership (only Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, voted with the 9 Ds against the bill). There was a last minute hand written amendment by Reps. Frank Attkisson, R-Kissimmee, and Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, which would allow "any or all of the cost savings to be paid as a bonus to classroom teachers." The amendment was pushed by the Florida Education Association.
The Senate version of the SSAA has yet to be scheduled or heard in committee

NEXT STOP HOUSE: Council for Lifelong Learning, no hearing set. We should make extra effort to contact those council members and other Republicans in case it goes to the floor.

NEXT STOP SENATE: Education Committee, no hearing set.
" The School Service Accountability Act will rob our counties of local control over noninstructional school services and often increases costs.
" Privatization removes the responsibilities of safety and employee accountability from our elected school board members and puts it into the hands of companies more concerned about their bottom line than the well being of our children.
" Low-bid companies will be awarded contracts without regard to their commitment to training. School bus mechanics, bus drivers, custodians, and food-service workers have important responsibilities that directly affect the safety of our children.
" The School Service Accountability Act is harmful to our already weakened economy. Privatization of public employees would displace 13,000 workers in Miami-Dade County. Privatized employees would be offered fewer benefits and less job security. Can our county absorb the increased cost of indigent health care and unemployment benefits?

BARRY GRUNOW EXTENSION ACT
Named after the Palm Beach teacher shot to death by a student, the "Barry Grunow Extension Act" (HB 265 by House General Education Committee and SB 422 by Senate Government Oversight and Productivity Committee) would extend increased death benefits for school personnel who die in the line of duty to include support staff and administrators.
NEXT STOP HOUSE: Pending review in Council for Lifelong Learning, no hearing set, before going to the Education Appropriations Committee.
NEXT STOP SENATE: Education Appropriations Committee, no hearing set.

STATE BUDGET AND TAXES
Before the Sept. 11 tragedy, Florida was already facing a $673 million budget deficit in 2001-2002 due to a slowing economy and the cumulative impact of $1.5 billion in tax cuts for wealthy investors. The sharp decline in tourism and airline passenger levels after the tragedy has ballooned the deficit to at least $1.3 billion. This financial crisis has prompted some lawmakers to propose radical cuts in services.
Florida state employees already rank 50th in cost to taxpayers (just $33 per taxpayer per year) and are proportionally the 48th state government. State workers rank 46th in the nation in pay while state managers rank in the top 10.
" Gov. Jeb Bush is proposing no raises for state employees, but just $53 million in one-time bonuses that would be limited to 35 percent of an agency. No matter what, 65 percent of state employees will get no pay increase under the Bush budget.
" AFSCME supports the Senate president's review of $20 billion in sales tax exemptions for special interests and reducing the sales tax from 6 cents to 4.5 cents.
" Education funding should be increased to prevent layoffs and improve services.

STATE GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE
A Senate report has found that the state group health insurance fund will have a $120 million hole in it this year and an additional $94 million by June 2003. A deficit would be no surprise because the Service First plan transferred 16,000 employees into Select Exempt status (free health insurance) and was never analyzed by any legislative fiscal committee. Now, the premiums of the state's lowest-paid workers are subsidizing the free health insurance of well-paid higher ups. No health premium increases have been proposed so far.
" If the state health insurance fund is in a financial crisis, then high-paid state managers need to start paying premiums.

FLORIDA RETIREMENT SYSTEM (FRS)
A healthy FRS allows the improving of retirement benefits to the majority of public employees. Employer contribution rates have been lowered several times and even with the recent economic downturn there is a projected surplus of more than a billion dollars over liabilities and reserve.

THREE-YEAR-AVERAGE: AFSCME Florida supports legislation that would create a three-high-year averaging instead of current "high five" for calculating retirement benefits.
Bills: HB 235 by Rep. Mark Flanagan, R-Bradenton, and SB 2 by Sen. Locke Burt, R-Ormond Beach.

ACCRUAL RATE: We support a "1.6 percent factor" for general employees should be increased gradually to 2 percent.

25-YEAR RETIREMENT: We want employees to be able to retire after 25 years rather than the current 30 years.
Bills: HB 1565 by Rep. Loranne Ausley, D- Tallahassee, and SB 1376 by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee.

REINSTATING SENIORITY BUMPING
Last year with Service Worst, the governor and Legislature took away seniority during layoffs and moved 16,000 Career Service employees into "at will" status. We stopped an attempt to eliminate the "just cause" standard. Career Service protections assure that services are fairly and are not compromised by political pressure.
We will oppose any further attempts to erode or destroy Florida's civil service system.
Although Council 79 was able to save the "just cause" standard for discipline, Governor Bush succeeded in stripping Career Service employees of the right to bump less senior employees during a layoff. We have already seen the administration targeting more experienced workers and union activists during layoffs.
BILLS: HB 1453 by Rep. Annie Betancourt, R-Miami, and SB 1846 by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee.

LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION OF IMPASSE
Two legislators angry about getting sued last year for violating the current impasse process have filed bills, HB 641 by Fred Brummer, R-Apopka, and SB 1910 by Rudy Garcia, R-Hialeah, that would eliminate the current mandated Special Legislative Hearing and Resolution, allowing the Legislature "to do as it sees fit" in addressing impasse issues between the state and its unions. The House bill passed 68-49 (6 R's voting no with all Ds).
We have fared better in the Senate with SB 1910. The sponsor had to pull the bill from the Senate Governmental Oversight and Productivity Committee because we had lined up enough votes to kill the bill. We will have to work to bury HB 641 when it comes to Senate in Messages.

NEXT STOP HOUSE: HB 641 is in Senate Messages and could be taken up on the Senate floor at any time.

NEXT STOP SENATE: SB 1910 is stuck in the Government Oversight and Productivity Committee where we have enough votes to kill it.

POLITICAL REDISTRICTING
Every decade after the census, Congress reallocates representative seats to state's based on population changes. This year Florida gains two additional seats. The Legislature has the responsibility for redrawing the boundary lines for the 27 congressional seats, 40 state Senate seats and 120 state House seats. While the process by its very nature is political, AFSCME believes certain principles must be applied to any district drawn:
Protect the rights of citizens to fair and equal representation; allow meaningful public input on plans considered by the Legislature; draw districts compactly that protect minority voting rights; and respect communities of interest (historic , geographic or political ).

SPECIAL RISK FOR FORENSIC WORKERS
Two years ago, the Legislature granted special risk retirement benefits to professional workers at state forensic units caring for the criminally insane.
However, the legislation failed to include special risk status for the human service employees in the same units who must maintain physical custody and control of violent patients.

BILLS: HB 1241 by Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, and SB1356 by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee.
NEXT STOP HOUSE: HB 1241 is on the House floor awaiting placement on the special order calendar.
NEXT STOP SENATE: SB 1356 has passed the Government Oversight and Productivity Committee and is headed to he Education Committee, but has not been scheduled for a hearing there.
" Forensic human services workers meet the 75-percent contact requirement for special risk status and should receive this benefit as is the case with other workers maintaining the chain of custody for dangerous inmates.

STATE PERSONNEL PRIVATIZATION
PCB 02-17 by the House Council on Fiscal Responsibility would allow Dept. of Management Services to contract with a vendor and would allot $30 million " to contract with a vendor to provide a personnel information system." The Senate leadership is opposed to personnel privatization. Recently, Governor Bush announced he was not going to outsource personnel services.
" Let House members know that privatizing personnel would be a service disaster and would cost more money.

TUITION FEE WAIVERS
Last year, one of the best ways for state employees to obtain college degrees and training was drastically reduced. According to the Department of Management Services, only 161 state workers were approved for education vouchers for the 2001 fall semester. That's a 98-percent drop from the 6,255 tuition waivers granted for previous academic year. In addition to a lack of funding, the current system of seeking approval from an agency head and then by the Department of Management Services makes obtaining tuition waivers all but impossible.

CS/SB 1356 by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, would reinstate the tuition fee waivers for State and University employees on a "space available" basis to register for classes at state universities and community colleges. The bill passed out of Senate Governmental Oversight and Productivity (next Appropriations). Similar HB 1241 by Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, passed out of House Colleges and Universities Committee (next stop Council for Lifelong Learning).

BILLS: HB 1241 by Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee; CS/SB 1356 by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee

NEXT STOP HOUSE: Council for Lifelong Learning
NEXT STOP SENATE: Education Appropriations

PROPOSED CAMPAIGN RESTRICTIONS ON COUNCIL 79
Campaign finance changes proposed in HB 707 by Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, would severely hamper Committees of Continuing Existence, such as that of Council 79, by requiring the more reporting and producing membership names and addresses on each contribution. HB 707 was referred directly to House Floor for second reading. Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, to move an amendment on SB 1192 in the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, which would be applicable to only those members contributing more than $50 at a time or in excess of $250 a year.