LOOKING BACK: A SAMPLER OF SESSION SUCCESSES

• AIF and the Florida Coalition for Legal Reform helped pass much needed legal reform legislation, most notably the historic repeal of joint and several liability as well as supersedeas bond limitations and the the Asbestos and Silica Compensation Act which established strict medical criteria to determine which individuals truly suffered from asbestos-related claims.

• Achieved legal reform victories related to street-lights, road builders, and vicarious liability.

• Led the charge to repeal the substitute communications system tax. If enforced, the Department of Revenue could have taxed items such as business and home computer networks, PDAs, two-way radio communications, and home and business intercom systems.

• Protected employers from costly litigation over slip-and-fall cases by helping to pass legislation that returned the burden of proof in these lawsuits to its historical boundaries.

• Led efforts to pass medical malpractice reforms to reduce the costs of lawsuits and liability insurance, while improving quality and protecting access to the high standard of care Floridians have come to expect.

• Drafted and won repeal of the 7% state sales tax on electrical & steam energy used in manufacturing and mining.

• Helped pass a bill to clarify that computer software is not personal property for ad valorem taxation purposes.

• Proposed and helped pass legislation to phase out the Intangible Personal Property Tax, which applied to items such as stocks, bonds, notes, other obligations to pay money, and accounts receivable.

• Proposed and led efforts to phase out the sales tax on repair parts and labor used to repair machinery and equipment used in manufacturing.

• Helped to pass a sales tax exemption on pollution control devices and equipment, to encourage business to go beyond the minimum requirements for pollution control.

• Drafted and won passage of significant reforms to the workers' compensation system; resulted in estimated savings of more than 50% for Florida's employers.

• Helped defeat "Guns in the Workplace" legislation that would have prohibited employers from preventing employees keeping firearms on company property.

• Achieved passage of legislation creating a "Signature Revocation" process allowing citizens to take back their signature on citizens initiative petitions.

• Led efforts to create a new "IT Governance Structure" within the office of the Governor for purposes of establishing a coherent IT policy across all state agencies.