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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-State Representative Jose Javier Rodriguez-NewsletterStaff: District Senior Secretary: Luisana Perez District Secretary: Thomas Kennedy District Office: 2100 Coral Way Suite 303 Miami, FL 33145 (305)854-0365 Jose.RodriguezOmyfloridahouse.gov NEWSLETTER From the Office of State Representative Jose Javier Rodriguez Florida House District 112 End of Session 2016 Friends and neighbors, The 2016 legislative Session in Tallahassee con- cluded earlier this month and after several months ad- vocating for us in Tallahassee I am back home and working in the District. Below are some examples of the legislation I've been working on this session. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you would like to dis- cuss these topics or anything else. Working together in Tallahassee for Miami's benefit As Vice -Chair of the Miami -Dade Legislative Delegation, I am happy to report a productive 2016 Session for the Miami area and was proud to work with Chair Rep. Diaz, J. (R-Miami) and other colleagues on a number of important initiatives for the Miami area. The bills we advanced addressed a number of critical concerns, including; creating a pilot program to reduce the rates of HIV and Hepatitis C infection (SB 242, HB 81); revising school funding procedures that had shortchanged our local public schools out of millions of dollars in funding (SB 766, HB 499); and one finally re- moving discriminatory barriers that prevented legally residing immigrant children from obtaining health in- surance. We also worked together to secure funding for the cleanup of the Miami River, for safety repairs to the 3d District Court of Appeals building, for the com- pletion of two linear parks, The Underline and The Ludlam Trail, and other items important to our com- munity. Rep. Rodriguez convening a meeting with the Dept. of Transportation to work on roadway improvements benefiting residents of the Golden Pines neighborhood with Miami Commrs. Suarez & Russell and County Commr. Suarez Rep. Rodriguez giving closing remarks on his bill protecting victims of domestic violence passed into law this year Rep Rodriguez providing a legislative update to his neighbors at the Miami Shenandoah Neighborhood Association Rep. Rodriguez explaining to the media how environmental damage caused by the Turkey Point nuclear plant will impact his constituents at a press conference calling for action from state and federal agencies Advocating for the public on failures at Turkey point My efforts to champion the public interest with respect to the operation of the Turkey Point nuclear facility have increased in recent weeks. Following evi- dence of impacts to water quality, the environment and future drinking water supplies, I have advocated for state regulators to take immediate action and have been in con- tact with federal regulators about taking a direct role in protecting the public. A recent New York Times article ti- tled "Nuclear Plant Leak Threatens Drinking Water Wells" describes the current situation at Turkey Point. Please con- tact my office if you would like more information. Follow me on Twitter @JoseJavierJJR 4-stint 0tO4-0- S'f.2, '-e,L. Submitted into the pu recor.,for i m(s) , , on City Clerk Rep. Rodriguez meeting with visitors from home at the Capitol, former House Speaker Dick Pettigrew, Coral Gables Commissioner Patricia Keon and County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa Moving forward I hope that we can build on the cooperation we achieved. It is important for us as local legislators to have strategic plans for our area that look into the future rather than focus on each year inde- pendently. Responsible budgeting and tax reduction Every year I have served in the House of Rep- resentatives I have worked to increase the share of state dollars in base education funding relative to lo- cal dollars; I have done so because of a tendency, in my view, of the Legislature to shift financial responsi- bility off of state monies and onto local property tax- payers. This year for the first time the budget in- cluded $428 million extra for local schools specif- ically in order to avoid relying heavily on in- creased local property taxes to increase educa- tion funding; I was very pleased to have been a part of helping to make that happen. I opposed the Governor's plans to greatly in - Rep. Rodriguez presenting HB 931 along with Rep. Passidomo (R-Naples), a bill crease the amount of taxpayer money spent on tax credits and subsidies to private industry through pro- grams administered by Enterprise Florida. I do not believe these programs have produced sufficient re- sults and that they need greater oversight. For that reason, I was pleased that the Governor's request of $250 million for industry subsidies was not funded this year. There are other measures in this year's budget that I was happy to support. We included more than $11 million to reduce the number of senior citizens waiting for services from state programs to keep them healthy and, in many cases, in their own homes. We also committed $200 million for the restoration of the Everglades and natural springs, vital to our wa- ter supply and economy. seeking to protect Citizens Insurance policyholders from take-out companies Rep. Rodriguez and his wife Sonia joining neighbors at "Shenandoah Day" Rep. Rodriguez working with advocates to seek state support for The Underline Rep. Rodriguez conferring with Miami -Dade Schools Superintendent & Board Members at the Capitol Promoting Community Safety The Legislature passed a bill I sponsored to help law enforcement better protect victims of domestic violence and stalking (HB 101, SB 380). Together with advocates for the bill, Senate sponsor Sen. Joseph Abruzzo (D-Wellington) and I worked hard on the bill for two years so I was pleased to see this important bill pass. Submitted into the pvh1jr. Follow me on Twitter @JoseJavierJJR record for itetn(s) on City Clerk This year the Legislature also passed a bill re- forming the death penalty after the United States Su- preme Court struck down Florida's death penalty pro- cess (HB 7101, SB 7068). While I was disappointed that it took a Supreme Court decision to get the Legis- lature to take action, I was happy to have been heavily involved in the reform process over the last three years and believe the reforms passed this year make Rep. Rodriguez assisting two students of closed for -profit college Mattia College to explain their experiences & call for reforms in the for -profit college industry our death penalty more fair and reliable and less likely to be struck down in the future. Advocating for homeowners and neighborhoods In my time as a State Representative I have ad- vocated for residential neighborhoods in the City of Miami with a high density of assisted living facilities (ALFs). This year we passed a proposal I devel- oped last year with Rep. Avila (R-Hialeah); it strengthens distance restrictions between ALFs located in residential neighborhoods to help cities enforce neighborhood -friendly density require- ments (HB 885, SB 1174). Rep. Passidomo (R-Naples) and I co- sponsored a bill that protects Citizens Insurance policyholders from take-out companies (HB 931, SB 1630). Local 10 News explained the bill in a report called "Bill offering consumer protections for Citizens policyholders passed." While more modest than a similar bill vetoed by the Governor last year, it re- quires Citizens to provide clearer information about take-out companies to policyholders, protects the confidentiality of customer information and limits the times during which take-outs can occur to a periodic schedule. This year I was also pleased to support a pro- posed ballot initiative protecting low-income sen- iors who are long-term residents in their home (HB 275 & 277). It would enable them to keep a Home- stead exemption many are at risk of losing. Rep. Rodriguez meeting with members of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Rep. Rodriguez joining Miami Firefighters and others at the Martin Luther King Day Parade Rep. Rodriguez leading legislative colleagues in honoring four Brothers to the Rescue pilots, marking the 20th anniversary of their shoot -down by the Cuban government Rep. Rodriguez helping distribute food at an event co -organized with Farm Share, joined by volunteers from Miami Dade College and the City of Miami Follow me on Twitter @JoseJavierJJR IS715MTMI irriv t reco for ittm(s) oncf i 2�1 City Clerk 3 Rep. Rodriguez working with volunteers at a Citizenship Clinic he co -hosted in the District Rep. Rodriguez meeting with advocates of immigrant families visiting the Capitol Rep. Rodriguez meeting with members of AMIKids of Miami -Dade, a non-profit youth organization Rep. Rodriguez advocating clean energy policies with Miami Mayor Rega- lado, Pinecrest Mayor Lerner, South Miami Mayor Stoddard, Cutler Bay Mayor Bell, Palmetto Bay Mayor Flinn, Key Biscayne Mayor Pena -Lindsey & County Commissioner Cava Levine Rep. Rodriguez joining Archbishop Thomas Wenski for Catholic Days at the Capitol Advocating for our students As in prior years I continue to advocate for greater oversight of for -profit colleges and stronger consumer protections for the students they enroll. For the first time this year a reform bill by Rep. Plakon (HB 1053), similar in spirit to a bill I filed (HB 123), received a hearing in the House of Representatives. It, unfortunately, was stalled in the House Educations Appropriations Subcommittee. Protecting our state and our natural resources I was pleased that a bill allowing the oil and gas extraction technique known as "fracking" failed in the Senate this year (HB 191). I believe the prac- tice threatens public health and will harm our econo- my. I sponsored a proposed Constitutional amendment banning "fracking" altogether (HJR 453) and have been outspoken on the issue. House Bill 989, passed this year, provides a dedicated and stable funding source to com- plete projects restoring and protecting our Ever- glades and estuaries, critical to our water supply, way of life and economy in South Florida. I was hap- py to work with bill sponsor Rep. Harrell (R-Stuart) and support the bill. In an effort to encourage state govern- ment to address the effects of sea level rise and climate change, I worked with Rep. Jacobs (D- Coconut Creek) on a bill (HB 1223) requiring state agencies to coordinate information and efforts ad- dressing the consequences of sea level rise such as extreme weather events. The bill was unsuccessful but my efforts at addressing the effects of sea level rise will continue. Raising ethical standards in government A bill that significantly improves the state's ability to prosecute cases of public corruption is now law (HB 7071). I was also happy to co-sponsor a bill by Rep. Metz (R-Groveland) that would have in- creased government accountability and reporting requirements on lobbying activity, though disap- pointed that it did not pass this year (HB 593, SB 686). Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance. It is a pleasure to serve as your Repre- sentative. Sincerely, 12-14 Follow me on Twitter @JoseJavierJJR Submitted into the pu recor for i m s) on Gi lerk 4 'Olenliamilieralbap MiamiHerald.com Op -Ed November 27, 2014 Lawmakers can work cooperatively Submitted into the pub record for it (s) on I City Clerk Everyone likes a pat on the back for a job well done. But praise should not make us complacent or hold us back when we ought to set our sights higher. This is the challenge facing Miami-Dade's legislative delegation to Tallahassee. ., UULI • JUU-1 rn J11000000 ,f -.- - , _ 4:_,.__ : , 1. ,:. . _ , ir • ;F 4,,,�" L IN TALLAHASSEE: Lawmakers gather in the Florida House on the first day of the 2014 session. Tampa Bay Times By JOSE JAVIER RODRIGUEZ Jose.Rodriguez@myfloridahouse.gov Everyone likes a pat on the back for a job well clone. But praise should not make us complacent or hold us back when we ought to set our sights higher. This is the challenge facing Miami-Dade's legislative delegation to Tallahassee. Members of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives with districts in Miami -Dade County form what is called the "Dade delegation." There are 24 of us in total. Together we make up almost a sixth of the entire Florida Legislature. In my first term as one of those legislators, we returned home each year from Tallahassee to press coverage and accolades for what we'd been able to accomplish together. When it is praise for state funding benefiting important local projects or programs, or for successfully fighting an uphill battle on behalf of property insurance policyholders against further increases, it is well -deserved. Still, it seems like no one is holding the Dade delegation to account on the bigger picture. • Miami -Dade faces real long-term challenges that residents will confront long after the tenure of any individual elected official. At the end of Florida's legislative session each year, the measure of the Dade delegation should be whether we set and worked together toward ambitious far-sighted goals that put our residents, local institutions and economy on stronger footing going into the future. What would it mean to set our sights higher? Perhaps the clearest example is in education funding. The District Cost Differential, or the DCD, is a cost -of -living adjustment in our state education funding formulas that used to fairly account for the fact that it is more expensive to educate students in urban areas. Ten years ago, however, all that changed. The calamitous effects for South Florida — and especially Miami -Dade — continue to this day and have shortchanged our public school system by tens of millions of dollars every year since the DCD was brought down. Other areas are critically important, too. Our water and sewer infrastructure is in crisis, traffic increases every year and South Florida's overburdened courts are routinely (and embarrassingly) last in line for much needed attention. In any discussion about state policies hurting Miami -Dade, the elephant in the room is healthcare. Last year leadership in the Florida House blocked a bipartisan plan that would have drawn down more than $50 billion of our own federal dollars to offer healthcare coverage to roughly 1 million Floridians who work in low -wage jobs and don't earn enough to afford health insurance. "Obamacare" may still be a dirty word in political circles, but when a quarter of all the uninsured people who are left out in the cold live in Miami -Dade, accepting the federal money becomes not just a moral or economic issue, but a local one, too. The reality is that few if any transformational goals make it onto the list of Dade delegation priorities. It doesn't mean we leave our district priorities or our member projects behind, but we have to set our collective sights high. The DCD is a contender to top what should be a short list of real long-term priorities that we develop, work toward and measure ourselves against. Leadership must come from the Dade delegation itself. Together we represent the residents of 34 municipalities living in 13 diverse County Commission districts. We advocate for many different public institutions serving Miami -Dade from FIU to the Jackson Health System. With so many compelling needs competing for the attention of each member, we cannot outsource the job of collectively distilling a handful of long-term structural challenges we, as a delegation, take on. It would be absurd to think we will address all of our long-term challenges at the same time or in a single legislative season. Yet a year with no progress at all on any of our critical long-term priorities should not meet with the type of accolades back home that the Dade delegation has become accustomed to. This week the Dade delegation chose a chairperson the day after the County Commission chose theirs. It's a perfect time to set the bar high for next year's legislative session. Jose Javier Rodriguez is the state representative from District 112 in Miami. Jose.Rodriguez@,mvfloridahouse.gov Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article4199371.html#storylink=cpy abmitted into the public ,ecord fpr iteln(s) cAn _ �t ► x� i c r, . e City Clerk