Legislative News

We completed the first week of the 2020 Legislative Session. This week's enormous lobbying team consisted of President John Kazanjian, Vice President Jim Baiardi, South Florida PBA President Steadman Stahl, South Florida Senior VP John Jenkins, South Florida PBA Sergeant …

This week was the second of six interim committee weeks for the Florida Legislature. As previously stated, these meetings are designed to get a early start on the major issues of the upcoming session. This week's lobbying team was led …

The 2019 Legislative Session is over. We passed legislation updating DNA warrants (SB 920), texting while driving (HB 107), survivor death benefits (SB 7098), and an omnibus criminal justice reform package (HB 7125 - there is much to unpack in …

SB 7098 (Senator Ed Hooper) and HB 7105 (Representative Alex Andrade) is the implementing language from the constitutional amendment passed during the 2018 election guaranteeing surviving family members of law enforcement, correctional, and correctional probation officers a death benefit included in s.112.19 Florida …

The idea came to us from Palm Beach County PBA's Treasurer Lou Penque and Vice President Rick McAfee. After talking with a number of Homicide Investigators across Florida, we came up with a simple change to the law which has …

The Florida PBA met with Governor Ron DeSantis this week to discuss our budget priorities.  The Governor and his staff were gracious with their time.  His message was clear, he fully supports Florida's law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and correctional …

We passed three bills and made some progress with the budget leadership this week. Overall, Florida PBA had a good showing. Please join me in thanking everyone who joined us in Tallahassee - President John "Kaz" Kazanjian, Palm Beach County …

SB 784 by Senator Joe Gruters (HB 779 by Representative Chuck Clemons) unanimously passed the Florida Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on April 10. The bill creates what we call a "hard floor" of 2% for the post-retirement Cost …

The House and Senate are ready to begin the hard part of the session - finishing a budget. Both chambers took up their budget proposals this week and then agreed to disagree over how to fund the state of Florida. …

The official budget proposals from both chambers have been formally presented to the respective Appropriations Committees. The intensity of the session is now in high gear. The Appropriations Committees (Budget) overwhelming approved their proposals and the bills will be sent …

We have reached the point in the Legislative Session when you need to be able to articulate your point on a subject in under 60 seconds. A long meeting with a legislator is five minutes... ten if you are a …

Two years ago (right after passage of the omnibus pension bill), a fellow labor friend and I were discussing what the changes in the bill meant to the larger scheme of things. Specifically, we wondered if exempting newly hired special …