2012 Legislative Priorities

Transportation

Protect the Transportation Trust Fund

• The Alliance SUPPORTS the protection of the Transportation Trust Fund. 

Each year the transportation trust fund is tapped to make up shortfalls in the budget.  The end result is lost jobs, new road projects deferred, maintenance projects cancelled and worker benefits eliminated. 

In a time when we can least afford more lost jobs and delayed economic development projects, we must protect the transportation trust fund.

Charter County and Regional Transportation System Surtax

• The Alliance SUPPORTS any legislation that will amend the Charter County and Regional Transportation System Surtax to make eligible all counties with an MPO (affects Lake, Sumter, Marion and ten other counties).

Medicaid Reformto Coordinate Transportation Programs

• The Alliance SUPPORTS the Coordination of Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation (NET) Program with Transportation Disadvantaged Programs.
  
  

Economic Development

Improve Economic DevelopmentOpportunities for Local Governments

• The Alliance SUPPORTS lowering the job requirement for the current HIPI grants from 50 to 25 and expand targeted industries.
  
  
• The Alliance SUPPORTS legislation that encourages state agency coordination with local entities to promote local economic development. This can be done by providing increased technical assistance, emphasizing public infrastructure with urban infill projects and programs, and collaborating on incentives that foster business development and job growth.
  
  
• The Alliance SUPPORTS identifying seed money for long range strategic economic development planning projects that would create in excess of 1,000 jobs.
  
  
• The Alliance SUPPORTScreating seed money  through a dollar match for a Real Estate Acquisition Fund to allow local counties and municipalities to purchase bank owned and/or vacant properties that would be utilized for economic development.
  
  
• The Alliance SUPPORTS reprioritizing transportation projects that are part of a Master Plan and would facilitate immediate economic development.
  
  
• The Alliance SUPORTS Providing financial assistance (dollar match) for local government agencies that provide direct business retention and expansion support.

Library Funding

• Libraries Support Local Economic Development – libraries provide vital services to small businesses and job seekers, and improve the quality of life that is so critical for regional economic development opportunities.
• The Alliance SUPPORTS the restoration of state aid to public libraries from the current $21,300,000 to the $33,400,000 appropriated in 2000-2001.

If funding is reduced further, vitally needed federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds received by Florida will be reduced. Florida received LSTA funding of $8.1 million in 2011.

• The AllianceSUPPORTS funding of all Department of State approved Public Library Construction Grant applications of up to $500,000 each.

This program provides jobs by matching local funds set aside by counties and cities and provides critical support to communities for new construction, renovation and expansion.  This funding also allows local communities to provide convenient, adequate and up-to-date public facilities that are important for businesses relocation and expansion.

Wekiva Parkway

• The Alliance SUPPORTS completing the northwest portion of the Orlando beltway through portions of Lake, Orange and Seminole Counties.

The completion of the Western Beltway/SR 429 is critical to accommodate inter-county travel between Lake, Seminole, and Orange Counties. The 25-mile project will relieve congestion on US Highway 441, State Road 46 and local roads, and complete the beltway on the western side of Metropolitan Orlando.

Environment and Health

Septic Tanks

• In 2010, in SB 550, the state legislature established a statewide septic tank inspection program.  While understanding the intent was to establish statewide standards in advance on the EPA mandating certain numeric nutrient criteria, the consequences placed onerous burdens on both businesses and private citizens. 

• The Alliance SUPPORTS HB 79 (Coley), SB 114 (Evers) and SB 178 (Lynn) to repeal the mandatory septic tank inspection program (SB550 passed in 2010).

Health Departments

• The Alliance and the Florida Association of Counties SUPPORTS restoring health departments’exemption from rate control and will work with Legislators to preserve funding for primary health care services.

County health departments (CHD) serve our most vulnerable citizens and must be protected to ensure adequate access to health care services statewide.

• The Alliance SUPPORTSmaintaining state general revenue funding for CDHs and OPPOSES any state reductions to the County Health Department Trust Funds.

• The Alliance SUPPORTS legislative efforts to retain cost-based reimbursement for CHDs and to align reimbursement methodologies with Federally Qualified Health Center’s reimbursement methodologies under managed care.

• The Alliance SUPPORTSefforts to enable CHDs to transition to managed care under the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Program without impacting service capacity.

• The Alliance SUPPORTSreinstating the exemption from rate control for county health departments.

Water Policy

• The Alliance SUPPORTS legislation that ensures local governments retain the tools necessary to achieve federal and state water quality standards – including total maximum daily loads or numeric nutrient cri­teria – at the lowest possible cost to the local governments. To meet these standards, cities and counties must have broad regulatory author­ity, such as controls on stormwater discharge, septic tanks and fertilizer use.

•  TheAlliance SUPPORTS legislation that clarifies reclaimed waters are not “waters in the state” and should not be subject to regulatory action by water management districts.
  
  

Local Government

Communications Services and Local Business Taxes

• The Alliance OPPOSES legislation that modifies, restricts or eliminates the authority of municipalities to levy, collect and/or expend the communications services tax and the local business tax.

• The local Communications Services Tax is one of the main sources of general revenue for municipalities, generating more than $400 million every year for cities. These revenues may be used for any public purpose, including public safety services, or they may be pledged to secure bonds.

• The local business tax is also the most comprehensive way of knowing what businesses are operating within the municipal jurisdiction.

Pending Ordinance Doctrine

• The Alliance SUPPORTS maintaining the home rule authority of municipalities in the local application of the Pending Ordinance Doctrine.

• The Pending ordinance doctrine provides local governments with the authority to refuse to issue permits on a basis that is not arbitrary or capricious.

• By codifying this rule, the local government may enact policies to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens without allowing developments in the pipeline to take advantage of soon-to-be-changing land uses.

Municipal Police/Fire Pension Plans

• The Alliance SUPPORTS legislation that provides comprehensive municipal firefighter and police officer pension reform.

This reform should:

• Modify the use of the insurance premium tax revenues by repealing the mandate for cities to perpetually provide new, “extra” pension benefits for police/fire
• Allow cities the ability to adjust pension benefits
• Provide for increased accountability and fiscal transparency by police/fire pension boards of trustees
• Reform current statutory disability presumptions for firefighters, law enforcement officers and correctional officers relating to tuberculosis, heart disease or hypertension

• The Alliance SUPPORTS HB 365 (Costello) and SB 910 (Hays) that address the priority on pension reform
  
  

Education

Protect Core Instructional Programs

• The Alliance SUPPORTS the policy to suspend any initiatives which would divert scarce dollars and time from core instructional programs.

PECO Funds

• The Alliance SUPPORTS a redistribution of available PECO funds to include public schools.  Prior to 2011, PECO funds were allocated to postsecondary, K-12 and Charter Schools.  In 2011, public schools K-12 were excluded.

School Board Authority

• The Alliance SUPPORTS the state respecting the constitutional authority of local elected school board members to “supervise, operate and control” public schools in all areas, included, but not limited to, flexibility in categorical spending, instruction, performance pay, budget, personnel, charter schools and school calendars.