Latest / Conversations: Special Guests with Preston Scott / What Sausage Is Being Made? The Florida 2024 Session

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What Sausage Is Being Made? The Florida 2024 Session · Conversations: Special Guests with Preston Scott

0:13
Okay, I'm gonna be the micromachines guy because we really don't have much time.
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You might think we do Salnuzo with us, but I'm staring at five
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pages of notes and there ain't a chance. Nope, Just so I can't.
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I don't know how I'm gonna just sit here and not ask a question,
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because when we talk about this stuff, I get so curious, Well,
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go through what we know. No, I won't do that. I'm
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not gonna. We're gonna. We're gonna set a record here. That's Grant
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Allen. I'm Preston scott As show fifty eighty nine of the Morning Show,
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and it's the legislative session. I think we're now capsuling week four and taking
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a look ahead at week five with sal Nuso. He is vice president of
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policy with the James Madison Institute. The Governor's office go, yeah, the
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the Governor's definitely getting more involved in legislative He's yeah, he's back. In
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addition, there's something I wanted to highlight because it's a pretty big deal.
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He filed suit against the Biden administration and it's in respect to the children's health
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insurance program in Florida. Chip. It's a subsidized insurance offering, and it
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has a sliding scale for really really small premiums at certain income thresholds, so
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it's meant to be a safety net. So Florida was the first state to
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operate this program. Now, under the parameters, the legislature was able to
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expand this program to cover even more kids as recently as last year. So
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the Biden administration issued a ruling through the Center for Medicaid Service as CMS stating
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that states must provide continuous coverage even if people have stopped paying those tiny premiums.
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So in effect, it would create a free for all into the program.
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People go in, they stop paying, and they can't get the state
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has no way to get them back on track. It's definitely a push by
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the FEDS to backdoor control over how the state does health insurance policy. I
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mean, it's clearly aimed by the leftists to come in and as you would
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imagine, the left media has gone apoplectic just claiming that all that the DYSANTUS
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administration wants to do is kick kids off of insurance, which is ridiculous considering
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we've expanded the program and we're doing it in a way that helps protect the
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state's budget and ability to continue to expand it. And so DeSantis filed suit.
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It's something we know conservative should all get behind because it's actually protecting the
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people who need this the most and allowing the state to do what it can.
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And then, look, life teaches us that if you don't have a
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little skin in the game, no matter how small it is, you have
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no value of it. Well, and if you think about it, from
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the left's ultimate goal is a completely universal, quote unquote government controlled health system.
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This is one little step along those yep, along that road. Yeah,
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and wisely the governor sees it for what it is and says, oh,
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no, we are doing this in a way that you can't do that
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you've shown you're completely incapable of doing, and we're going to sue to keep
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that going. All right. The governor got a huge win. We mentioned
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it briefly in court against Disney, explained, Yeah, So federal court Judge
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Allan Windsor tossed the Disney defamation suits. So Disney had sued the governor,
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claiming that it was political retaliation for them speaking their mind on a particular bill,
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and the judge in the case tossed it, and now Disney has said
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they're going to appeal. I think this is just a loser for them.
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They continue to get egg on their faces as continues. So you know,
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if I was a consultant Forum, I would say just go away. The
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governor also came out publicly regarding force besise resolutions. What were those and why
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do you think he came out on these? Well, one the political calculus.
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This may be a good kind of political narrative for him if he is
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thinking about running four years from now. The resolutions are to adopt term limits
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for Congress, to pass a balanced budget amendment for the United States Congress,
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a line item veto for the President, which would need to be an amendment
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because the Congress passed it in the nineties and it was tossed by the Supreme
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Court. And then I love this one. Force Congress to be subject to
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all laws that it passes. What a novel idea go figure. So that's
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it's a pretty big deal. There are what they call Article five conventions around
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the country. Constitutional Yeah, the Convention of States days coming up on the
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twentieth of February. These are all efforts to invoke Article five, which allows
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the states to come together and propose amendments of the Constitution. Florida is moving
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all of these and so looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Sow
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News. Oh, James Madison Institute. Governor rond Asantus very publicly didn't just
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support Texas. He's sending the Florida National Guard. Yeah, not only the
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Florida National Guard, but the state Guard, which was established for him a
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session or two ago. I think it was two years back. Well,
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Deep's there and FDL and even some state troopers are there and so forth.
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Yeah, so you've got this effort of partnership between two very conservative states.
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Both are border states, but approach border control very differently, Texas as a
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landmass border, Florida as a coastal border. But the fact that this is
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kind of sent the left also into it, Tiss. He reveals to me
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just how bent they are on nothing but complete open borders. And we were
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talking before the show about you know, I'm trying to pay attention to the
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border bill that they're trying to pass, and it just seems like it's got
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a complete lack of logically, we're going to allow five thousand a day through
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the border. I mean, the number should be zero. But you in
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addition to that, you've got the district attorney in New York City. I
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think it's Alvin Bragg. Yep, he indicted Trump and he's refusing to do
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anything about illegal immigrants and crime in his own district in New York. I
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mean, he's letting them out and they're going out in committing more crimes.
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Yeah. So it's a something that while JMI doesn't, you know, kind
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of do immigration and border policy, it's something we're following quite a bit.
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What are the highlights of what happened in a really busy week in the legislature?
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Yeah, it was. It was a really really busy week. HB
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fourteen oh three is a big one. It's making changes to the vehicles for
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school choice programs in Florida. It passed the full House. Now what it
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would do is expand the Family Empowerment Scholarship, which goes to special needs kids.
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It's a different pot of money, and it also consolidates the Hope scholar
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Ship into the new ESA. The Hope one was for the kids who were
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bullied and assaulted. They're just moving that into the ESA and that one's going
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away in addition thirteen sixty one past the full House, which would expand the
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ESA into the VPK program for kids that aren't reaching early reading and math benchmarks.
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And this is something where I think they're going to start taking little bites
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at the apple on VPK and try to get school choice into those programs as
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well. Okay, HB forty nine, We've talked about this a couple of
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times, easing employment restrictions on sixteen and seventeen year olds. It passed the
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Full House. The Senate version Danny Burgess, Senator Burgess has got it.
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It's made it through one stop, so I see that moving as well.
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HB six thirty five from Fiona McFarlane. We haven't talked about this one,
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but I got a look at it, and it's a really, really great
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bill offering tax breaks for businesses that offer childcare for employees. So if a
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business offers either childcare in house or they provide childcare payment as a benefit,
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they can take a deduction from their either their corporate income tax, insurance premium
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taxes, a few other taxes of the state levies. I saw this one
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late, but I absolutely loved it. The Senate version is moving as well,
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kudos to Ret MacFarlane for kind of the foresight on this one. Fake
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weed on the chopping block. HB sixteen thirteen, It passed a committee.
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It would severely restrict products that mimic some of the effects of THHC, but
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you can buy them without a medical marijuana license or what have you. Thus
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far, it's legal. They're trying to, as I've read about it,
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they're trying to gear up for when recreational marijuana does in fact get on the
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ballot and likely passes. So it's one that if you're into those things,
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yeah, you're likely paying attention and you may not like the restriction, but
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be prepared because I do see that one moving. Salouso and I I'm Preston
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Scott Salnuso and me. Yeah. Anyway, it's the Morning Show and we're
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talking about the legislative session, and we are talking about what happened last week.
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We left off at Senate Bill nine thirty two, Yeah, from a
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Democrat. Great bill from Lori Berman banning any out of pocket charges for diagnostic
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imaging for breast examinations past committee unanimously. It only applies to folks who are
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in a type of insurance arrangement. The House version is moving as well.
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I expect that to have a lot of momentum. Why one is ultimately it
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does lower healthcare costs down the road if you catch things early, and so
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the incentive to get these examinations done earlier is something that in the long term
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you save a ton of money. And I've seen physical analysis on this in
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health reports. But no charge to a patient at all. I mean,
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I'm just playing Devil's advocate here. At what point then do we say no
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copays for anything? Well, in mind, it's the same argument would apply
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sure in my insurance policy. I don't pay a copay when I go in
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for my annual physical. And so it's kind of a similar tack in kind
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of explanation that it should be something that at a particular age you're doing regularly,
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and we're going to incentivize that in order to save money down the road.
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All right, pitbull owners pay close attention. Yeah, House built eight
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seventy three from Representative Pain Dangerous Dog Liability Insurance. It pass committee unanimously.
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Also moving in the Senate. Now it's not based on breeds, and that's
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very important, but rather dogs that have a specific individual history. So if
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you're attacks or bites or there's a complaint and it's and it's verified, then
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you would be required to obtain one hundred thousand dollars of liability coverage or get
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rid of the dog. And so it's been implemented in a couple of other
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states very effectively, and I kind of and you like it because there's there's
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in every breed. There are sweetheart dogs and there are more aggressive dogs.
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Yeah, and a blanket either ban or requirement to have liability insurance if you've
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got some you know, fifteen year old pit bull that isn't doing anything at
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all except lying around on your couch. I like the approach that really kind
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of targets this in a manner that's that that is better than a blanket copproach.
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We talked briefly last week about a couple of reform bills, one that
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would restrict third party financing of litigation. It was on the agenda for a
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committee hearing, but it got postponed and as of yesterday I couldn't figure out
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why. And no, but he seems to be saying why. It could
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be some technical language, but I'm paying attention to that However, Senator Jim
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Boyd's bill, Senate Bill seventeen sixteen, would allow what are called surplus lines
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insurance providers to take over policies from citizens property. Surplus lines are kind of
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specialty insurance providers. They'd been banned from citizens for a variety of reasons.
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But we need to offload citizens policies into the market, and so this is
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a good move. There another tortil reform bill beginning to move, Senate Bill
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two thirty eight, limiting litigation against assisted living facilities. Now, the crux
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of this bill is in regard to who can be sued. In many cases,
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als have independent operators. They're owned by large companies, hedge funds.
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We've got an aging population that's growing, a lot of people are going to
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be going into alf and so this is kind of a foresight bill to get
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ahead of the game. There, Okay, HB fifteen sixty one. Good
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luck. Oh yeah. Representative Demi Busata Cabrera is moving specific reforms to what
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procedures can be performed in an office versus a surgical center. It's targeted at
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something called Brazilian butt lifts. And I only mention it because I wanted to
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say Brazilian butt lift on the show. Who doesn't exactly along those same lines
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will continue. Senator Clay Yarborough Senate Bill sixteen to ninety requiring employees of adult
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establishments to all be twenty one years or older. It's moving. So if
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you want to be an adult dancer, first off, I would say,
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please consider, reconsider, not consider, please reconsider. But if that doesn't
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work, you have to wait until you're twenty one. Rep Amnesty in the
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House as a companion, that's moving. House Bill three ninety five from Dean
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Black protecting historical monuments. It's moving in both chambers. He's been kind of
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chatpion in this for a couple of sessions. The Senate companion bill gets a
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second stop this week. The bill was changed a bit so the monument has
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to have been in place for twenty five years. I don't know why they
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picked that year or that number of years as a starting point, but that's
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the way that they're kind of getting some folks over over onto their side.
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There one more twelve twenty three from Bobby Payne, lowering the age to buy
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a long rifle back to eighteen. It's moving in the House. I feel
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it's likely to pass, but according to the Senate President it is a non
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starter for them. So just wanted to call attention to that one. As
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it continues to move forward. How long before that ends up in court and
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tossed out, Well, somebody's got somebody's got an eighteen or nineteen or twenty
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year old has to sue, and then it's got to move through the process.
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There, Boy, do I have huge news. We have two more
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segments with sal Newso time for the Yes we do. Time for this is
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our version I've got and I'm remembering this time. The Big Stories in the
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press Box brought to you by Restore, carpent Care and Tyle Only. The
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Big Stories a continuation of looking at what happened last week in the legislature.
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This is sop though. This is what normally happens midway through the legislature.
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Gosh, yeah, things start going yeah, this is this is the first
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of the two, kind of like moving weeks where stuff is just all of
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a sudden. Now the floodgates are open. We left off with the ridiculous
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decision by the Senate President to not entertain moving the long rifle gun age back
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to eighteen where it should be because it is an unconstitutional law. But let's
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move on from there. Sure. Last week we talked a little bit about
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fantasy sports and Senator Travis Hudson had a bill. I took a look at
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it. It's House Senate Bill fifteen sixty eight. It does have some pretty
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serious implications. So it would require any of the commercial operators of fantasy sports
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I think fan duels and DraftKings or whatever they are, they would have to
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bar individuals under twenty one from participating. And it would require all entry fees
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to be paid out in prize moneies and subject the operators to more stringent regulation
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similar to gambling outfits. It would place the regulation in the hands of the
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Florida Gaming Commission. It would create a licensing fee for operators, which a
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million in the first year and then two hundred and fifty thousand per year after.
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The interesting note is that fee would require a two third super majority in
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each chamber to pass. The companion bill from Jason Chouf, who is our
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rep. It hasn't made an agenda yet and the first subcommittee the bill is
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assigned to meets tomorrow and that may be its last meeting. So if In
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that case, the bill would be effectively dead. But I would not be
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surprised to see this as a conversation starter coming back in future years. All
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right, So moving on HB five thirty three from Fabricio would close the loophole
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and require all inmates in state facilities to have DNA samples collected. It's ready
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for the House floor Senator, and Golia has a Senate command companion that's moving
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the full Senate past SB two eighty, which would provide a state level regulatory
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system for vacation rentals house campaanion has made it through its first stop, but
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it has two others, and that would preempt most of the local regulations that
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are in place around the state for airbnbs and whatnot. Interesting tack and a
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large agency bill for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill now
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has a provision banning the production or sale of fake meat. And we don't
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mean like veggie burgers, we mean like lab created, cultivated meat. So
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the agency bills typically get passed, So I'm paying attention and to see how
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this looks. Moving ahead, Okay, sixteen thirty nine requiring official documents to
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identify an individual's sex as opposed to gender identity. It passed its second stop,
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and I expect the House to pass it. It currently does not have
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a Senate companion, so one of two things will happen. Either it'll pass
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the House and that'll be it for this year, or a proposed committee bill
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could pop up. Those can be filed late in the session, in which
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case it could move really really quickly. So we'll have to see what happens
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there, all right, what's coming up this week? This week, we've
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got today, We've got a first Senate committee hearing for the companion bills to
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HB one and HB three. That's this afternoon. I'm hearing that the version
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that the House passed it's going to be changed before it gets to the Senate
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floor. But I'm definitely paying attention to how it progresses and what the amendment
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changes, because, as we've talked about, there are some concerns on whether
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or not the age verification piece is constitutional given what other states have done.
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And you know, as the governor has said, as others have said,
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you really want this to stick. You want it to make it past any
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kind of court issues, and that's something that I'm kind of paying attention to
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as we move forward. It's one of my biggest complaints with Congress is that
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they pass laws that don't pass constitutional muster. Why bother? Yeah, yeah,
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And you know, I understand where the speaker and others are coming from.
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I agree with the intention, but kind of the direction that it's going.
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I'm paying attention to what the Senate does. Back with Sound News James
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Madison Institute. All right, final segment here, what else is coming up
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this week? Can we just first talk about the fact that it looks like
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we're going to make it through all five pages of notes? Well not now,
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you just wasted time. Darn it? All right, send it regulated
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industries. They're gonna hear Jay Trumbell's bill, which would lift regulations on the
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size of wine containers, which personally I am all in favor of. I
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want gallons of wine available at restaurants and wherever you had it. Hook up
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an IV man if someone wants to whatever allow I believe in free markets.
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Preston. I've never had a glass of wine in my life and I don't
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care. But I don't care what the government thinks about how big a wine
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glasses Exactly exactly. All right, Kudos to Chip Lamarca, who's got the
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House bill. He's been championing this for many years. Also, first stop
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for a really great bill to establish what's called a limited barber license. What
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this would do is it's almost like an apprenticeship for a barber, and it
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allows an individual and I want you to think about someone kind of returning from
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society, from prison, or who can't afford yet to get into barbering school
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or pay the eleven thousand dollars average tuition. It would allow them a limited
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scope under the tutelage of an existing barber with supervision. And so the House
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and the Senate committees are taking that up this today and tomorrow. We've also
21:22
got a bill from Rep. Alison Tant It would make Florida a hands free
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state. So if you're in your car and your phone is there, you
21:32
would not be able to touch it. After that bill passes, if it
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does in fact move Tuesday, we've got a big Banking and Insurance Committee hearing
21:41
in the House. In addition, in that bill or in that committee hearing,
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you've got a cybersecurity bill from Rep. Mike Ga Lombardo. It gets
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a second committee stop. We're starting to pay attention to it. It's really
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really good. But the goal is really to position Florida, especially in the
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state government side, to protect it from the inevitable thousands and in some cases
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millions of hack attempts that come in from China and other adversaries. A ton
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of bills in the Senate Community Affairs Committee along with the Government Oversight and Accountability
22:18
Committee. I looked at the calendar for that. I think it was like
22:23
twenty bills or something like that. Healthcare Appropriations Committee is also going to hear
22:29
several bills we've mentioned in prior weeks, including one that I spoke about I
22:33
think it was last week on dental therapy. Pay attention to this because,
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as I've mentioned, Florida has tremendous healthcare provider shortages. What this one would
22:44
do is establish a mid level provider category to do very routine stuff basic fillings,
22:52
basic extractions, and some other things along those lines. And the idea
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is you've got rule areas in the state that have maybe one or two dentists
23:03
for one hundred thousand people, and it just can't be allowed to continue as
23:07
we grow. And lastly, you've got big floor sessions for both chambers on
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Wednesday, where it looks like they'll both pass their full budget proposals, which
23:17
will kick off and trigger the conference process where they come together and hammer out
23:23
the final details. I do expect that budget to come in lower than what
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the budget was last year, so and a real cut in government spending which
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should be lauded real quickly. As we close. Has Governor to santus way
23:37
in on anything the session that the legislature's doing, indicating good or bad,
23:44
a number of different things, especially on HB one. He had said that
23:48
he wanted that to make sure that it can stick. There were a couple
23:52
of other things here and there, but starting to pay attention as I think
23:56
that he'll the pace at which he does those things will speed up. Thanks
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for the time, always a pleasure, Salnusoh, James Madison Institute, our
24:03
guests. He'll be back with us next week on Monday. It's the following
24:07
Monday that we moved to Tuesday, but we got you covered folks here in
24:12
the Morning Show with Preston Scott