I.
History and Challenges
As I look at
the portraits of all of the Speakers who have preceded me through
those hundred-plus regular sessions and countless special sessions,
I wonder whether any of those speakers and any of those earlier
Legislatures have had as many unique and historical opportunities
as we have had since November 2000.
We entered
the 2000 election knowing that we would have a House with a majority
of freshman members. Little did we know that was simply where
the challenges would begin.
We met the
challenge of enabling sixty-three new members, now sixty-four with
the election of Representative Evers, to hit the ground running.
We made sure that our freshmen would be full participants in the
process. I am more confident than ever that we have a new
generation of great Florida leaders.
We had barely
gotten ourselves organized when Tallahassee became the site of worldwide
round-the-clock media attention. It seemed that every reporter and
lawyer in the free world descended upon us. This House had
a historic and unprecedented role in the Election 2000 controversy.
And the conduct of this House and each of its members showed the
world that a democratic deliberative process could be conducted
with fairness, decorum and dignity, even when the highest office
in the land was at stake.
Our election
reform package won bipartisan support and is now heralded by leaders
in both parties as a national model.
So we come
into the 2002 session with a legacy to uphold: we have been an example
of the democratic process at its best. I'm confident we will uphold
that legacy as we face this year's challenges.
We once again
face the challenge of crafting a budget that meets the state's needs
in challenging economic times without increasing the tax burden
on Florida's families and businesses.
We face the
challenge of reorganizing the executive branch of government to
meet the requirements of a constitutional amendment that abolished
four Cabinet offices-Comptroller, Treasurer, Secretary of State,
and Education Commissioner, and that created one new office-State
Chief Financial Officer.
And we face
the fascinating challenge, as we do once every decade, of drawing
new district lines for Congress, for the Senate, and for this House.
The pessimists will tell you that reapportionment will consume everything
else, that reapportionment makes everything personal, and that nothing
substantive will be done on the merits.
The pessimists
are wrong, as they always are. This is a principle-driven House,
not a personality-driven House. We rededicated ourselves to a tradition,
begun by Speaker Dan Webster that serves all of the people by placing
principle before personality. And being principle-driven, we will
have enormous successes this year.
As we enter
the redistricting process a bit of practical advise from Teddy Roosevelt:
"The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency."
II.
Specific Accomplishments
Look at how
much we've accomplished so far:
Security task
force. On September 11th last fall an international group
of Hitlerian style thugs changed our world. For the first
time since the U.S. Capitol was burned down in 1812, the continental
mainland of the United States was subject to foreign attack.
Like other states, Florida, even during the Cuban Missile Crisis,
has been completely dependant on the Federal Government to protect
us from foreign threats. But all Floridians are now volunteers
in the first war of the new millennium, called by President Bush,
"Operation Freedom". Representatives Goodlette and
Gelber are leading a committee to comprehensively review Florida's
laws and rules to suggest improvements in our system to deter and
punish terrorist activity.
But, we are
in no rush to discard precious freedoms endowed upon us, as Jefferson
says, "by our creator". Security without freedom
is totalitarianism; individual license without security is chaos
and anarchy. As Florida joins the nation in combating
evil here and abroad, we do so in the spirit of the firefighters
and police officers in New York City at ground zero, and with the
unwavering commitment demonstrated by the private citizens who led
American counter attacks. As Todd Beamer said to his fellow
heroes aboard United Airlines Flight 93 somewhere over Pennsylvania
on September 11th, "Are you guys ready? Let's Roll."
Special
Session C. During the second special session to adjust Florida's
budget to the new economic reality following the events of September
11, the House led the way on providing strong fiscal management
to reduce excess spending while still protecting core services.
Thanks to your leadership, we were able to reduce our base budget
by roughly $1.3 billion while, at the same time, spending for education
increased over the previous fiscal year and our most vulnerable
citizens were provided with the services they need. Even after we
made the necessary budgetary adjustments, Florida still increased
spending on public education over the previous fiscal year by $676
million. Overall, education spending now comprises 52.5% of Florida's
budget.
III.
Principles
This Legislature
has accomplished so much, with solid work from both sides of the
political aisle, because of our principles.
Today we're
delivering to each member's office a framed poster describing the
five principles that have guided the House since 1996. Principles
matter now more than ever.
These are the
principles we must advance together:
Less Government:
- Over the
last three years, we have reduced the number of state workers
by 10,000 without a reduction in services, efficiency and effectiveness
in state government.
- Eliminated
2,526 non-utilized, yet funded positions in state government.
Stronger
Families:
- Since 1999,
the State of Florida has increased its' collection of child support
payments by $44.9 million, helping moms and fathers when other
parents abandoned their obligations to their children
Less Taxes:
- Between
property tax rollbacks, tax cuts for Florida's seniors and savers
and other tax holiday for parents, Florida has effectively cut
6.5 Billion dollars in cumulative tax relief during the last four
years.
More Personal
Responsibility:
- Lowest crime
rate since 1972, with a 50% reduction in violent crimes since
1990.
More Individual
Freedom:
- In 1996,
five Charter schools were in existence whereas in 2000 there were
149.
- Moreover,
over 27,000 students were being served by Charter schools in 2000,
whereas only 3,000 in 1996
"A
+ Education Plan:
- From 78
Failing Schools 3 years ago, to Florida having no failing schools
in the state of Florida in the last school year.
- A Harvard
study says the main reason for F school improvement is the Opportunity
Scholarships created in the A+ Education plan.
- The McKay
Scholarship Program
- We provided
the parents of special-needs children with the freedom to choose
how to best provide for their child's education. Thanks to the
fine leadership of President McKay, and the superb work of this
body, we are now able to provide these children with scholarships
that will help them find a better learning environment that is
more suitable for their needs.
- "Corporate
Income Tax Credits" (2001)
- And last
Friday, I attended an event with Representative Siplin the historic
town of Eatonville where two new schools funded by private contributions
under last years tax credit proposal will be started. Pastor Willie
Barnes, joined the Eatonville Community, Sheriff Malone Stewart
of the Orange County Sheriff's Office and wildly enthusiastic
parents in announcing plans for a school for the most at risk
boys in grades five through seven in Eatonville The first choice
some of these parents have ever had to help their children.
There you have
it: less government, lower taxes, personal responsibility, individual
freedom, and stronger families. Advance these principles and you will
likely pass bills or amendments in this House. Members of both parties
are figuring this out, and their bills are moving. Just ask Representative
Cusack. Representative Cusack was persistent and she convinced me
that her bill to create a public school volunteer health care practitioner
program advanced the House principles. And because of Representative
Cusack's persistence, HB 355 is moving. It passed out of General Education
as a Committee Substitute earlier this month, and it only has one
stop left before the floor. Representative Cusack is succeeding within
the principles, and the principles are assuring that her success is
Florida's success.
These principles
that we as legislators embrace are our American legacy. What they
enable us to do is face the future with comfort that our success
will be Florida's success.
IV. Tax Reform
President McKay
has asked the House to look at a complex proposal to change Florida's
current tax structure. Certainly, each of us understands the enormity
of his proposal and how important this issue is to him. At the moment,
we are all unsure of the ramifications of such a plan. Some of you
have perhaps noted that the issue has generated a small amount of
controversy in the last few weeks. But the House has never been
afraid to take up and examine controversial issues. And I commend
President McKay for his courage and commitment to examining Florida's
future.
President
McKay has put forth a complex idea and the House should give it
the full and fair attention it deserves. On that note, I want to
thank Rep. Johnnie Byrd for the leadership he has provided and continues
to provide for the select committee to review the President's proposal.
I like the prospect of cutting the sales tax rate and reviewing
non-meritorious exemptions. But as we review President McKay's
tax proposal, we must ask ourselves many complex and fundamental
questions.
The President
is a friend and dedicated Floridian and deserves an open and full
hearing. It is critical that we not retard any economic recovery
by adopting regulations or new taxes that impede economic growth
and job opportunity. Any new tax proposal must be judged on a few
basic questions: Does it expand job growth, economic opportunities
and prosperity?
Regardless
of what happens on tax proposals, the best way to enhance Florida's
tax revenues is to expand economic prosperity and job growth and
increase personal incomes for Floridians. For decades, Florida
has relied on three legs to support our tax base - agriculture,
tourism and construction. It is time to provide a strong fourth
leg to support Florida's economic engine.
V. Promise
for the Future-High Tech
It has been
my goal to position Florida as the International Gateway to Technology
for the next century. Florida presently ranks 1st in the Southeastern
United States and 6th nationally in total high-tech employment and
high-tech business. More than 9,000 high-tech businesses have established
operations in Florida, employing nearly 200,000 people.
From the telecommunications jobs in the Panhandle to the powerful
I-4 High Tech Corridor in Central Florida, to the Network Access
Point in Miami - Florida is becoming the Silicon Beach of tomorrow.
I believe
that this body, and our partners in the Senate, and the E-Governor
Jeb Bush, must work hard to continue this upward trend in Florida's
development of high-tech industry. By incentivizing business development,
providing the necessary infrastructure and improving our education
system, we can lay the groundwork to further expand Florida's share
of the high-tech growth. Joint efforts between our Universities,
Community Colleges and technology companies are commencing across
the state.
But the
development of information technology should not be limited to the
private sector. The Florida House is committed to continuing to
advance the use of information technology in becoming a world leader
in operating government better, faster and cheaper and in developing
a competitive information technology industry. In this legislative
session, the House will function as the most technologically advanced
system of public policy making in our nation.
In addition
to our nationally acclaimed FREDS redistricting program, which makes
every Floridian a map drawer, we will be previewing our new integrated
legislative information system this session. Thanks to Reps. Bense,
Cantens, Gelber, Henriquez, Mayfield and Rubio for agreeing to be
the "guinea pigs" for our new system. The cost will be
less than $3 million a year, compared to $9 million a year now.
We will use not only 1/3 of the costs, also 1/3 of the resources
to accomplish better outcomes.
VI. Meeting the Challenge of Leadership
And so, as
we begin the one-hundred-fourth regular session of the Legislature
since Statehood in 1845, I am proud to lead this great institution,
the Florida House of Representatives. Leadership is a challenge
and an honor that I take personally. But we are all-all one-hundred-twenty
of us-leaders in this great State of Florida, and I know that leadership
of our great state is an honor and a challenge that we all take
personally.
And as we each
work to meet the challenge of leadership, I hope we can exemplify
leadership as defined by President Reagan: "to have the vision
to dream of a better, safer world, and the courage, persistence,
and patience to turn that dream into a reality." I hope
that sixty days from now we can say of each of our fellow legislators
that he or she approached every day, every task, every issue with
vision, courage, persistence, and patience.
The challenges
are daunting, but we will rely on each other to meet the challenges
of leading our fellow citizens to a better, safer Florida.
