03/16/04
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 1,269
Year to date: 28,690
STATE
NEWS
THEBUDGETTHEBUDGETTHEBUDGETTHEBUDGETTHEBUDGET
Not
this time
(
03/14/2004
© Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
Senate President
Jim King is right.
Florida
can't afford a massive
tax break for millionaires and billionaires. King didn't come right out
and say that Gov. Jeb Bush's priorities are skewed. But the Senate
president clearly realizes it.
Bush:
New tax revenue should go toward debt
(03/16/2004 © Northwest
Florida Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE - Gov.
Jeb Bush urged lawmakers Monday to use a $1.1 billion boost in the
estimate of tax collections to cut Florida's debt, fill a hole in Medicaid
and give a tax break to businesses buying equipment.
Lawmakers
debate cost of tax cut
(03/16/2004 © Ocala
Star Banner)
The Florida House
moved ahead last week on its goal of eliminating the state tax on major
stock and bond holders. The House Finance and Tax Committee voted to
reduce the intangibles tax by $89 million, with the intent of entirely
eliminating the tax over the next three years.
State
s windfall will help curb debt
(03/16/2004 © Orlando
Sentinel)
Here is how Gov.
Jeb Bush is recommending lawmakers spend nearly all of the $1.1 billion in
additional revenue that economists predict will flow into this year's
state budget:
State
s passing the buck angers county
(03/16/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
For months, Citrus
County commissioners have complained that while state legislators seem
heroic cutting taxes in Tallahassee, many times they have really been
shifting the cost of services to local governments like Citrus County and
the residents who live here.
Bush
takes privatization to the next level
Last
week, Governor Bush issued Executive Order No. 04-45 creating a
centralized “Gate Process” for initiating, reviewing, and evaluating
outsourcing initiatives under the Governor’s Center for Efficient
Government. This center,
housed by the Department of Management Services, was developed to
privatize state services and make sure well connected business get a chunk
of your tax money. The
“Gate Process” mandated by this order follows a series of stages and
requires that documentation be presented to the Senate President and House
Speaker upon completion of each stage.
Below is a copy of Bush’s order and some newspaper clips on the
issue.
STATE
OF
FLORIDA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 04-45
WHEREAS,
it is the policy of the State that all agencies focus on their core
missions and deliver services effectively and efficiently by leveraging
the agencies' resources and contract for services that can be more
effectively provided by the private sector; and
WHEREAS,
an effective review of proposed outsourcing projects can best be
accomplished if uniform concepts and principles are applied to review the
planning, implementation and delivery of services; and
WHEREAS,
the Department of Management Services has the primary responsibility to
help coordinate and facilitate state procurement practices; and
WHEREAS,
I have directed the Governor's Center for Efficient Government
("Center") be created and administratively housed in the
Department of Management Services; and
WHEREAS, an oversight board composed of five agency heads, led by
the Secretary of the Department of Management Services, has been
established to oversee the Center; and
WHEREAS,
it is a priority of this administration to improve the way state agencies
deliver services to its citizens.
NOW,
THEREFORE, I, JEB BUSH, Governor of the State of
Florida
, by the powers vested
in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of
Florida
,
do hereby promulgate the following executive order, effective immediately:
Section 1. The mission of the
Center is to be the enterprise wide gateway for best business practices in
order to improve the way state agencies deliver services to
Florida
's citizens.
In furtherance of this mission, the Center shall:
(a) Create a centralized Gate Process for initiating, reviewing,
and evaluating outsourcing initiatives. This process will consist of
developing standards, templates, guidelines and a reporting mechanism to
the Legislature and Governor for each stage of any initiative.
Additionally, the Center may seek statutory authority as needed.
i.
The Gate
Process shall include the following stages:
a) Business Case
Development
b) Procurement
c) Contract Management
d) Change Management
e) Performance
Measurement
ii. Upon
the completion of each stage and prior to the initiation of the next
stage, the Center will provide documentation to the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and the President of the Senate that the requirements
of the Gate Process have been met.
iii. This
process shall be a transparent, open and fair process for the purpose of
encouraging and managing competition for state government services.
(b)
Review past outsourcing projects for best business practices.
(c)
Review existing outsourcing plans within the state agencies to ensure
compliance with Center standards and business case criteria, execution of
effective contracts with vendors, and implementation of successful change
management.
(d)
Provide to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the
Governor, by
July 1, 2004
, a written report
containing an initial list of outsourcing projects and initiatives that
can be developed over the next three years.
e)
The Center shall maintain a database that contains information about
initiatives which are being performed by contractors to include, but not
be limited to, the lead agency name and description of program or service
being outsourced, names of contractors and subcontractors on contract,
projected and actual completion dates by project phase, a description of
performance measures contained in the contract and actual performance
measures and projected costs and revenues associated with the contract.
(f)
Develop and implement a program to transition impacted employees.
This program should recognize their contributions to the state and
our commitment to minimize their personal impact while implementing
beneficial programs that reduce the cost of government for all of the
citizens of the state. The Center shall provide recommendations for this
program to the Governor by
May 1, 2004
.
Section
2. All agencies under
the control of the Governor are directed, and all other agencies are
requested, to render assistance, resources and cooperation to the Center.
Section
3.
The Center shall continue in existence until
January 3, 2007
, unless extended by
amendment of this Executive Order.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and have caused
the Great Seal of the State of
Florida
to be affixed at
Tallahassee
, the Capitol, this
11th day of March, 2004.
Bush
reaffirms his desire for privatization
(
03/15/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
Gov. Jeb Bush is
putting privatization on the fast track. Perhaps for the benefit of those
not convinced by his three statewide campaigns, who
dozed through both Bush inaugural addresses and managed to miss six State
of the State speeches, the governor signed an executive order last week.
Privatization
needs restraint
(
03/15/2004
© Jacksonville
Business Journal)
Elevators are one
of those modern conveniences we usually take for granted. Press a button
and you're whisked upward or downward to your destination. Yet elevators
are complex devices that use powerful motors, huge weights and long cables
to do their jobs.
Raiding the trust funds
Editorial:
Legislature should stop raid on trusts
(03/15/2004 © Ft.
Pierce Tribune)
During this
legislative session, expect to hear a lot of talk from Gov. Jeb Bush about
making Florida's budget more flexible to meet the needs of the state. It
will sound oh-so progressive and convincing. Don't be fooled
Investment
tax break debated
(03/15/2004 © Gainesville
Sun)
The Florida House
moved ahead last week on its goal of eliminating the state tax on major
stock and bond holders. The House Finance and Tax Committee voted to
reduce the intangibles tax by $89 million, with the intent of entirely
eliminating the tax over the next three years.
Editorial:
Gov. Bush is attacking our affordable housing trust funds
(
03/15/2004
© Gainesville
Sun)
For many
Floridians, home ownership provides some of life's greatest joys. Creating
a quality lifestyle, maintaining family stability and building financial
security are all linked to having a home of your own.
Defending
the Sunshine Law
Lawmakers
renew public records fight
(03/15/2004 © Gainesville
Sun)
TALLAHASSEE - In a
time when terrorism, privacy and identity theft are at the forefront of
public debate, it may come as no surprise that state lawmakers often cite
those as reasons when imposing a new shroud of secrecy on government
records.
Editorial:
Eclipsing the Sunshine
(
03/15/2004
© Gainesville
Sun)
Every year, it
seems
Florida
's 'Government in the
Sunshine' grows dimmer. Each new legislative session brings more
exemptions to open government and this year is no exception. Before the
2004 Legislature even convened, nearly 50 new exemptions were proposed.
Newspapers
effort makes public aware of open records laws
(
03/15/2004
© Naples
Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE
— Every year dozens of
bills are filed that somehow try to restrict access to government or
public records. But the last two years open government watchdogs have been
more successful at fighting those they feel go too far in taking away
government access as provided in
Florida
's constitution.
Florida
Election 2004
Analysis:
Importance of Florida in presidential election debatable
(
03/15/2004
© Palm Beach
Post)
This may be
blasphemy to Florida Democrats, but the
Sunshine
State
could be less important
than they think in this presidential election.
Orlando
rally to jump-start Bush team
(03/16/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
President Bush
returns to Florida on Saturday for what promises to be a powerful show of
grassroots support in America's biggest swing state.
Jennings
declares her bid to oust Rep. Harris
(
03/16/2004
© Bradenton
Herald)
Add another name
to the list of Democrats looking to unseat U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris,
R-Florida. Christine Jennings, 58, announced Monday that she would seek
the Democratic Party nomination to square off against Harris in November.
Quiet
fund-raising groups for lawmakers worry some
(
03/16/2004
© Orlando
Sentinel)
Dennis Benbow's
business likely would profit from the
Wekiva
Parkway
, a proposed toll road
through the fragile
Wekiva
River basin
. State Sen. Lee
Constantine is leading legislative efforts to get that highway built.
Byrd
s Senate campaign names new manager
(
03/16/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
A veteran
Tampa
Bay
area political
consultant has been named campaign manager for House Speaker Johnnie
Byrd's U.S. Senate race. Wayne Garcia said Monday he is replacing Mike Zolnierowicz,
who left to work for U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Sarasota. Harris
decided to run for re-election rather than the Senate, but might run for
the Senate in 2006.
Kerry
helps Aaronson - and Aaronson helps Kerry
(03/15/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
It sure looked as
if John Kerry was making a statement about County Commissioner Burt
Aaronson by doing a Delray Beach photo op with Aaronson. You bet he was,
say the Aaronson people. No way, says the Kerry campaign.
State
senator makes bid for national seat
(03/15/2004 © Panama
City News Herald)
In an
unprecedented grass-roots campaign, state Sen. Daniel Webster, R-Orlando,
has less than a month to collect 93,024 signed petition cards to get his
name listed on this year's ballot to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate.
The
key to Florida
(
03/16/2004
© Panama City
News Herald)
'What irony!' goes
the latest joke making the rounds in
Washington
political circles.
'Cubans can't elect their president in
Cuba
, but they elect one in
the
United States
.' Indeed, there are
growing indications that Cuban exile voters will once again play a key
role in November's
Education
Federal
rules may leave teachers out
(03/15/2004 © Ft.
Myers News-Press)
Under a provision
in federal law, dozens of Lee County teachers must get recertified or they
wont be able to keep their jobs for much longer. That piece of the No
Child Left Behind Act takes effect for all
teachers in June 2006
Voucher
violation deemed a mistake
(03/16/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE -- The
state Department of Education did not 'intentionally' break the law by
allowing certain students to enroll in a $4.8 million virtual school
program, said Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, who closed his
investigation into the program Monday.
Battle
for cash rewards becomes problem for schools
(03/16/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
TALLAHASSEE --
Gov. Jeb Bush has made it a key part of his carrot-and-stick approach to
fixing
Florida
's education system:
Reward schools that do well by giving them cold, hard cash.
Gallagher
closes investigation on virtual schools
(03/15/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- An investigation examining the enrollment of kindergarten and first
graders into virtual schools was closed Monday after the chief financial
officer determined lawmakers wanted the children to continue participating
in the experimental schools.
Editorial:
Give Florida s children a strong start
(
03/16/2004
© Miami
Herald)
In 2002, a
bipartisan majority of
Florida
voters overwhelmingly
approved a constitutional amendment for state-funded, universal
pre-kindergarten education for 4-year-olds.
Students
rally for anti-bias bill
(03/16/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE --
Lake Worth High School student Rogue Alfaro sat quietly in the waiting
room of Sen. Ken Pruitt's office Monday with hands in lap, hair braided
and wearing black eyeliner, earrings and a silver stud piercing the space
between his lower lip and chin.
Schools
need more than the Lotto
(03/15/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
While driving on
Interstate 95 recently, schools Superintendent Art Johnson glanced up at a
new billboard declaring that Florida Lottery money built 100 new schools,
with more on the way.
DROP
details divide teachers and district
(
03/15/2004
© Stuart
News)
INDIAN RIVER
COUNTY
? Schools Superintendent
Tom Maher is asking that some of the district's most senior teachers
resign to give them more time in their careers.
Ballot
Initiatives
Anti-rail
drive gathers steam
(
03/16/2004
© Florida
Today)
TALLAHASSEE
-- A newly energized
petition drive to kill
Florida
's high-speed railroad is
capitalizing on a deal struck months ago.
Voters
need way to bypass unresponsive Legislature
(
03/16/2004
© Jacksonville
- Florida Times Union)
The debate over
the process for amending the Florida Constitution is now fully engaged in
Tallahassee
and that's healthy. But
before it goes further, the poster child of constitutional amendments that
has been used as a whipping post for those arguing that the process is too
easy and controlled by deep-pocket special interest groups needs to be
removed from the discussion.
Legislature
2004: The Week Ahead Budget talks and constitutional amendments
(03/15/2004 © Naples
Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE —
Fiscal matters gain prominence this week when House and Senate budget
builders find out how much they have to spend as legislative leaders divvy
up money for education, health care and other areas that make up the $55
billion budget.
Other
Legislative Issues
Politics
causes Seat Belt Song to crash
(
03/16/2004
© Palm Beach
Post)
Todd Shea
has spent years writing deep, angst-filled songs about the human condition
that have been largely ignored by the mainstream press.
Column:
Phone rate hike must go: Here s how to get it killed
(03/16/2004 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TO: Johnnie Byrd,
Speaker of the House FROM: Your friend Howard SUBJECT: How to repeal
telephone bill Dear Mr. Speaker, I spent last week in Tallahassee, and
everybody said you would like to do something to fix that awful telephone
rate hike that you passed last year....
Bill
protects dishonest car dealers at consumers expense
(
03/16/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
Florida
's Deceptive and Unfair
Trade Practices Act was intended "to protect the consuming public and
legitimate business enterprises from those who engage in unfair methods of
competition, or unconscionable, deceptive, or unfair acts or
practices." Incredibly, two Republican legislators have decided that
it is actually
Florida
car dealers that need
protection from the consumers.
Getting
down to business in Tallahassee
(
03/15/2004
© Orlando
Business Journal)
The Florida
Legislature's business agenda for 2004 contains some perennials (medical
malpractice), some returning issues (a sales tax holiday) and a few
surprises: lawyers who would be banned from advertising and open heart
surgery units that could benefit hospitals -- but not, perhaps, patients.
Bushs
plan for juvenile halls criticized
(
03/16/2004
© Palm Beach
Post)
Local leaders are
expressing anger over a state plan that would charge local taxpayers for
the costs of state-run juvenile detention centers. Gov. Jeb Bush wants to
transfer the $91.5 million annual cost of housing young offenders from the
state to the counties.
Critics
seeing red over road cash proposal
(03/15/2004 © Orlando
Business Journal)
TALLAHASSEE --
Think of it as legislatively induced road rage: A bill now winding through
the state house would cut state funding to fix urban roads in half by
2009.
A
mudfight over who s behind attack on hospital charges
(
03/15/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
Is K.B. Forbes,
executive director of Consejo de Latinos Unidos,
a political activist who attacks hospitals because he's funded by the
insurance industry? Or, as Forbes and his
Los Angeles
nonprofit claim in
recent television ads, are
Florida
hospitals economic
racists because of their "egregious" overcharging of black and
Hispanics who are uninsured?
Cracks
Growing In Health Care For Children
(03/15/2004 © Tampa
Tribune)
TAMPA - Access to
government-funded health care for children seems to be improving, but the
gap between those with insurance and those without has widened, a national
study found.
Bonehead
Law Comes Home To Roost
(
03/14/2004
© Tampa
Tribune)
CLEARWATER
- The Florida
Legislature's in session again. Don't let your spouse out of sight. Bring
the kids inside. Keep your hand on your wallet. When
outdoors, you might keep an umbrella over your head at all times, if you
catch my drift. It's a dangerous season.
NATIONAL
NEWS
AFL-CIO
Pushes for
China
sanctions
A.F.L.-C.I.O.
to Press Bush for Penalties Against China
The
New York
Times
3/16/04
In
rare move, AFL-CIO petitions U.S. on Chinese trade
USA
Today
3/16/04
Let’s
call a duck a duck…once again, Bush lied.
The
government’s Medicare costs expert said he was threatened with firing if
he gave lawmakers accurate estimates of how much the Bush administration-s
Medicare prescription-drug plan would cost, according to published reports
by Knight-Ridder. Even though the White House said the plan would cost
$395 billion in the first 10 years, the federal Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services estimated the cost at $551 billion. Richard Foster, the
agency's chief actuary, told colleagues last June he would be fired if he
revealed the higher numbers to lawmakers, according to Knight- Ridder.
Several Republican members of Congress had vowed to vote against the bill
if it cost more than $400 million. Union and senior activists oppose the
plan, which Congress passed in November, because it moves Medicare towards
privatization, provides inadequate benefits and threatens employer-paid
benefits for millions of retirees.
Democrats
Seek Probe of Medicare Estimates (washingtonpost.com)
The
Washington
Post
3/16/04
US
Election 2004
Nation’s
Direction Prompts Voters’ Concern, Poll Finds
New York
Times
3/16/04
Partisan
Debate Only Escalates as Kerry Quotation Is Corrected
The New3
York
Times
3/16/04
Bid
to curb groups' political ads may dim a Kerry bright spot
The
Boston
Globe
3/16/04
Deficits
could be a bigger drag on economy than claimed
Deficit
Study Disputes Role of Economy
The
New York
Times
3/16/04
Greenspan
Shifts View on Deficits
The
New York
Times
3/16/04
Overtime
deal nears deadline---not too late to call!
OVERTIME
FIGHT COMES DOWN TO WIRE--The fight to protect the 40-hour workweek and
overtime pay is coming down to the wire. The Senate is expected to take up
the overtime issue when it votes on an amendment to the Foreign Sales
Corporation tax bill after its March 15-19 recess. The amendment,
introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), would prohibit the administration
from cutting overtime pay protections and retroactively repeal any
overtime cuts that the Labor Department has put into effect. The Bush
administration's Labor Department plans to issue new
rules that would redefine who is eligible for overtime pay by March
31. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao on March 9
rejected a call by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to delay implementation of
the rules so a study could be done to determine how many people would be
affected by the rules change. If implemented, the new rules could take
away overtime pay from some 8 million workers, including veterans,
according to the Economic Policy Institute. Working families and their
allies are increasing their calls to lawmakers to stop the attack on
overtime. More than 550,000 people have signed Save Overtime Pay
petitions, and more than 1.7 million have sent faxes to President George
W. Bush urging him to withdraw his overtime take-away plan and to Congress
and the Labor Department. You can send a fax to Bush by visiting http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/faxbush4ot
.
If you have
suggestions on how we may improve this online publication or have
information you would like to see posted please contact our communications
director at (850) 224 – 6926 or at rtemplin@flaflcio.org.
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Rich Templin
Communications Director
Florida
AFL-CIO
