The second week of Legislative Interim Committee meetings ended yesterday. The Legislature’s focus is still squarely on redistricting for legislative and congressional districts. The legislative committee chairs held briefings, workshops, and received agency updates instead of hearing any official legislation. As a matter of comparison, the Florida Senate heard 34 bills during last year’s second week of interim committee meetings.

The Florida’s economic forecasters estimate that our state will have roughly $7 Billion in surplus General Revenue with 71% ($5 Billion) of the surplus as nonrecurring (one time) dollars.

The PBA continues to pursue legislation to provide workers’ compensation coverage for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases (HB 117), along with including Correctional Officers, Correctional Probation Officers, and Emergency Dispatchers as recipients of workers’ compensation indemnity benefits for mental health illness such as PTSD (HB 49 and SB 200). Our statewide bargaining units are proposing pay raises for our state employees (Florida Highway Patrol Troopers, State Law Enforcement Officers, State Correctional Officers, and Correctional Probation Officers). We are also lobbying along side multiple employee groups on pension reform/enhancements.

As always, please stay safe.

Sincerely,

Matt Puckett