11/26/18
Senate President Bill Galvano released the appointment of committee chairs and membership for 2019. Attached are files that include his memo to members, also appearing below, and the assignments. Of significance to education, the separate appropriations subcommittees for higher education and K-12 are combined back into one committee that will be chaired by Sen. Kelli Stargel of Lakeland. Sen. Rob Bradley stays on as full Appropriations Chair and last year's K12 Ed Appropriations Chair Kathleen Passidomo will have the role of Majority Leader. Chairing the substantive Education Committee is freshman Manny Diaz who moved over from the House where he'd served as Ed Appropriations Chair the past two years.
Membership of House committees has not been announced yet although the Chairs were named last week. First week of committee meetings is December 11-14.
THE FLORIDA SENATE
SENATOR BILL GALVANO
President
Memorandum
TO: All Senators
FROM: Bill Galvano
SUBJECT: Committee Structure and Assignments
DATE: November 26, 2018
In anticipation of the approachin
interim committee week, I have finalized the committee structure and made appointments to our Senate standing committees. The attached documents list committee assignments for the 2016-2018 term by committee and by Senator. A list of office and parking assignments is also attached.
In making these committee assignments, I have worked to incorporate the interests stated on your subject matter preference forms as well as your comments from our personal conversations. Additionally, a general comment from Senators has been the desire to serve on fewer committees, allowing more time to focus on specific subject areas. I have worked to honor that request.
The committee structure is, as a whole, similar to the structure utilized by the Senate during the prior term. However, I would like to note a few differences and highlight several key leadership positions.
1. Senator Benacquisto will serve a second term as Chair of the Committee on Rules. Senator Benacquisto has demonstrated a commitment to thoughtful and fair applicability of our procedural guidelines that allows all Senators to advocate for their positions within the confines of the Rules we have unanimously agreed to follow. As a former Rules Chair in the Florida House, I understand the responsibilities of the position and appreciate Senator Benacquisto’s ability to remain thorough, deliberative, and decisive regardless of the circumstance.
2. Senator Passidomo will serve as Majority Leader for the 2018-2020 term. Senator Passidomo has gained the respect of Senators on both sides of the political aisle by listening to the concerns each Senator brings forward and working to build consensus. Most recently, during her tenure as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 Education, and prior to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Senator Passidomo spearheaded the effort to create an allocation for mental health assistance. Additionally, what sometimes goes unseen is her diligent dedication to maintaining a personal connection with her constituents, which is another quality I believe will serve the Senate well.
3. The Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities and the Committee on Regulated Industries are combined to form the more expansive and flexible Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology, which will be chaired by Senator Simpson. Maximizing opportunities to expand our state’s economic footprint is critically important as we work to structure government in a manner that allows the private sector to innovate. As I said in my acceptance speech last week, with proper planning we can attract technology, not just tourists. We can be the target for venture capital, job creators, and startups. As a leader of the Senate and future presiding officer, Senator Simpson shares this vision, and I appreciate his willingness to lead the Senate in this developing area of public policy.
4. Senator Bradley will serve as Chair of the Committee on Appropriations. Over the last year, Senator Bradley has impressed all of us by his ability to quickly and comprehensively take on the responsibility of chairing the full committee. This detailed and time intensive work is one of the most demanding responsibilities in the Legislature. I appreciated the manner in which Senator Bradley conducted the work of the committee over the last year, particularly with regard to his leadership in re-allocating funds to dedicate to school safety initiatives following the tragedy in Parkland, while still setting aside ample reserves that have ensured a thorough state-response to Hurricane Michael.
Structurally, the Committee on Appropriations reverts to the smaller subcommittee format utilized during the 2014-16 legislative term.
5. The Committee on Transportation is expanded to include all matters of security and is renamed the Committee on Infrastructure and Security. Domestic security matters previously considered by Military and Veterans Affairs will now fall under the purview of this committee, which will be chaired by President Lee.
6. With planning for the 2020 Census underway, the Committee on Reapportionment returns to the committee structure as a standing committee. I do not intend to appoint committee members at this time
Moving forward, I request all Committee Chairs to call the Staff Director assigned to your committee by the end of the week to begin planning your committee schedule. I look forward to seeing you in Tallahassee on December 11 to begin our first interim committee week
Membership of House committees has not been announced yet although the Chairs were named last week. First week of committee meetings is December 11-14.
THE FLORIDA SENATE
SENATOR BILL GALVANO
President
Memorandum
TO: All Senators
FROM: Bill Galvano
SUBJECT: Committee Structure and Assignments
DATE: November 26, 2018
In anticipation of the approachin
interim committee week, I have finalized the committee structure and made appointments to our Senate standing committees. The attached documents list committee assignments for the 2016-2018 term by committee and by Senator. A list of office and parking assignments is also attached.
In making these committee assignments, I have worked to incorporate the interests stated on your subject matter preference forms as well as your comments from our personal conversations. Additionally, a general comment from Senators has been the desire to serve on fewer committees, allowing more time to focus on specific subject areas. I have worked to honor that request.
The committee structure is, as a whole, similar to the structure utilized by the Senate during the prior term. However, I would like to note a few differences and highlight several key leadership positions.
1. Senator Benacquisto will serve a second term as Chair of the Committee on Rules. Senator Benacquisto has demonstrated a commitment to thoughtful and fair applicability of our procedural guidelines that allows all Senators to advocate for their positions within the confines of the Rules we have unanimously agreed to follow. As a former Rules Chair in the Florida House, I understand the responsibilities of the position and appreciate Senator Benacquisto’s ability to remain thorough, deliberative, and decisive regardless of the circumstance.
2. Senator Passidomo will serve as Majority Leader for the 2018-2020 term. Senator Passidomo has gained the respect of Senators on both sides of the political aisle by listening to the concerns each Senator brings forward and working to build consensus. Most recently, during her tenure as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 Education, and prior to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Senator Passidomo spearheaded the effort to create an allocation for mental health assistance. Additionally, what sometimes goes unseen is her diligent dedication to maintaining a personal connection with her constituents, which is another quality I believe will serve the Senate well.
3. The Committee on Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities and the Committee on Regulated Industries are combined to form the more expansive and flexible Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology, which will be chaired by Senator Simpson. Maximizing opportunities to expand our state’s economic footprint is critically important as we work to structure government in a manner that allows the private sector to innovate. As I said in my acceptance speech last week, with proper planning we can attract technology, not just tourists. We can be the target for venture capital, job creators, and startups. As a leader of the Senate and future presiding officer, Senator Simpson shares this vision, and I appreciate his willingness to lead the Senate in this developing area of public policy.
4. Senator Bradley will serve as Chair of the Committee on Appropriations. Over the last year, Senator Bradley has impressed all of us by his ability to quickly and comprehensively take on the responsibility of chairing the full committee. This detailed and time intensive work is one of the most demanding responsibilities in the Legislature. I appreciated the manner in which Senator Bradley conducted the work of the committee over the last year, particularly with regard to his leadership in re-allocating funds to dedicate to school safety initiatives following the tragedy in Parkland, while still setting aside ample reserves that have ensured a thorough state-response to Hurricane Michael.
Structurally, the Committee on Appropriations reverts to the smaller subcommittee format utilized during the 2014-16 legislative term.
- The Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12 Education are combined as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.
- The Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources are combined as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government.
- The Committee on Finance and Tax is a standing committee, rather than an Appropriations Subcommittee.
5. The Committee on Transportation is expanded to include all matters of security and is renamed the Committee on Infrastructure and Security. Domestic security matters previously considered by Military and Veterans Affairs will now fall under the purview of this committee, which will be chaired by President Lee.
6. With planning for the 2020 Census underway, the Committee on Reapportionment returns to the committee structure as a standing committee. I do not intend to appoint committee members at this time
Moving forward, I request all Committee Chairs to call the Staff Director assigned to your committee by the end of the week to begin planning your committee schedule. I look forward to seeing you in Tallahassee on December 11 to begin our first interim committee week
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