Florida Staffing Association -State Legislative Issues

 

Economic Development:

• Support continued funding of Enterprise Florida’s economic development “Tool Kit,” including the Innovation Incentive program designed to entice world class research centers like Scripps, Torrey Pines, Burnham, SRI and Marx Planck Society as well as hi-tech companies to the state
• Support legislation aimed at providing tax credits for venture capitalists that invest in Florida’s emerging businesses
• Support efforts to draw down federal economic development dollars through the New Markets Tax Credits Program
• Support efforts to expand the film and entertainment tax credit program
• Support the Ships-to-Reef program as a way to stimulate local economies

Education:

• Advocate flexibility in plans to fulfill the mandates of the class-size constitutional amendment
• Support increasing curriculum standards, particularly in the core subject areas (grammar, science, math, etc.), so our students can compete globally in the 21st century
• Support continued improvements to Florida’s school accountability system, including diagnostic or end-of-course examinations and a continued refining of the school grading process.
• Support efforts to increase education in the arts, multilingualism, multiculturalism, and technology literacy to assure the workforce is prepared for the creative economy

Elections:

• Support reforms to the process for amending the state constitution by citizen initiative
• Support efforts to change the life span of petition signatures for citizen initiatives from the current 4 years to 2 years

General Business:

• Oppose “Guns in the Workplace” legislation that would not allow employers to have a policy prohibiting firearms in employees locked vehicles
• Support legislation providing for personal identity-theft protection and for protection of personal and business data held by state and local governments while at the same time balancing the needs of commercial entities to have access to such information to service their customers and promote commerce
• Oppose legislation that requires businesses to rely on flawed federal verification systems for immigration status of employees

Health Care:

• Oppose legislation that would mandate any percentage of payroll for health care benefits no matter the size of the company
• Continue to support Medicaid reform proposals that inject market-based solutions to reform and control the growth of Medicaid while protecting elderly, poor and disabled Floridians’ access to services
• Oppose additional mandates on health insurance policies and seek legislation to give insurers greater flexibility in developing benefit packages

Insurance:

• Continue efforts to bring about affordability and availability of commercial and residential property insurance utilizing sound business principles
• Oppose burdensome restrictions on health insurers, such as “any willing provider” and provider contract restraints that drive up the cost of health care
• Support proposals to expand access to uninsured Floridians using market-based solutions which allow health plans to offer benefits tailored to consumers’ needs and allow them to reduce the number of mandates they must provide
• Oppose legislation that would place additional mandates on health insurance policies

International Affairs:

• Support additional funding for Enterprise Florida in the trade mission area so that Florida can continue to be a leader in international trade and expand our economy internationally
• Promote Florida’s economic diversity by investing in projects that attract global investments and partnerships

Taxation:

• Support legislative ideas that would help to lower the rising cost of property tax for both homeowners and businesses across the state
• Support legislation to reduce the communications services tax currently on all communications devices (except residential lines)
• Support legislation that would place Florida alongside with other states in implementing the Streamlined Sales and
• Use Tax Agreement
• Fight the efforts to divert money from trust-fund revenue streams to general revenue
• Support sales tax holidays, such as exemptions from sales tax on items to be used for hurricanes and school readiness
• Support legislation to adopt the 2007 version of the IRS code so that Florida businesses do not have to keep two sets of records
• Monitor activities of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission
• Support statutory efforts to review Florida’s sales tax exemption, but oppose any mandated review or sunset provision associated with this review

Technology:

• Encourage the enhanced government spending on IT in order to provide better services to citizens and businesses and to ensure that Florida’s state government remains at the cutting-edge of IT
• Support increasing compensation and competency requirements for state CIOs
• Support the creation of an “Innovation Fund” in order to incentivize state agencies to be more novel in their service delivery
• Monitor and influence any bill filed on the Agency for Enterprise Information Technology (AEIT).
• Codify IT definitions in statute pursuant to AEIT direction
• Support funding for redesign of outdated agency IT systems

Unemployment Compensation:

• Support legislation which clarifies a staffing company’s obligation to notify temporary employees of their rights and duties regarding entitlement to unemployment compensation.
• Oppose funding ancillary programs unrelated to unemployment compensation programs, since this increases the cost of doing business while undermining the purpose for which the unemployment benefits program was
• Oppose extending number of weeks unemployment benefits are paid with no additional funding or other incentives to employers to cover such expenses
• Oppose any uniform or arbitrary benefit amount increases
• Oppose enactment of permanent benefit expansion provisions
• Oppose funding ancillary programs unrelated to unemployment compensation programs, since this increases the cost of doing business while undermining the purpose for which the unemployment benefits program was created
• Oppose any increases to costs, including but not limited to defining additional beneficiaries
• Support strengthening program restrictions prohibiting benefits receipts by individuals voluntarily abandoning available employment
• Oppose expansion of mandatory leave benefits for non-work related activities
• Oppose any new reporting requirements that employers provide certain data or information to employees or governmental agencies regarding use of or eligibility for accrued leave time

Workers’ Compensation:

• Oppose any efforts to erode the savings experienced by all Florida employers as a result of the AIF-supported 2003 Workers’ Compensation Reform Act which resulted in savings now of over 50%
• Oppose the creation of a state fund or other state risk bearing entity
• Continue support for increased funding for state fraud investigations
• Oppose any efforts to statutorily establish procedures, guidelines or other provisions that are currently available through administrative action for which statutory authority already exists
• Oppose any raid on the Workers’ Compensation Trust Fund without first giving back money to employers

Workforce Development:

• Support the establishment of career academies in Florida’s schools that will prepare Florida’s students with industry certifications to compete with students from around the world, not just other states
• Support the “Ready to Work” program

Workforce Housing:

• Support legislation that would repeal the cap placed on the Sadowski Affordable Housing Act Trust Fund and other proposals that will allow Florida’s workforce to have affordable housing
• Encourage local governments to establish “Fast-track permit” systems and reward those jurisdictions with proven systems with greater access to affordable housing funds