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Success stories take center stage as Florida marks Youth Success Day

Elected officials, agency leaders and community partners gathered at the state capitol Tuesday to recognize the achievements of at-risk youth across the state as Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation declaring Feb. 3 Youth Success Day in Florida.

The recognition highlights the work of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services (FNYFS), Florida Juvenile Justice Association (FJJA) and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) focused on keeping youth out of the justice system and focused on a path toward long-term success.

“I’d like to thank Governor Ron DeSantis for declaring today Youth Success Day in Florida. This is a significant day, particularly for the youth that we are honoring here tonight who have overcome significant obstacles to be resilient and successful,” said DJJ Secretary Matt Walsh.

“Youth Success Day celebrates the young people and direct-care staff who make meaningful changes possible,” said Christian Minor of the Florida Juvenile Justice Association. “We were proud to recognize our Youth Ambassador and Service Excellence Award winners and grateful for the legislative champions who continue to invest in these kids. Our partnership with the Department of Juvenile Justice is a shining example of public-private collaboration delivering real results for Florida’s youth.”

Aaron Bean to host health care summit on prescription drug policy

U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean will host a second event in Washington, D.C., on health care policy Thursday.

The Fernandina Beach Republican plans to bring voices of prescription drug policy into the same room to inform a looming debate on hospital reimbursement. The event at the Longworth House Office building will give an opportunity to discuss the future of the 340B Drug Discount program in place since 1992.

“Our health care is in trouble,” Bean said. “We’ve got to come up with a better plan than what’s out there right now.”

This event will be part of a Path to Consensus series Bean kicked off in December to illuminate complicated policy debates in Congress. The first looked at tax credits tied to the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, and occurred as pandemic era subsidies were sunsetting.

“I was leaning against the subsidies extension, because the more we researched, they were a disaster. They’re expensive, they’re fraud-ridden. People were being signed up without the knowledge. So when we had that debate, I was already there,” Bean said.

Second House panel warms to Chase Tramont bill on heated tobacco regulatory change

A bill from Rep. Chase Tramont that would differentiate heated tobacco products (HTPs) from traditional cigarettes has cleared the House Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee.

The measure (HB 377) clarifies existing state law, reinforcing an existing Department of Business and Professional Regulation declaratory statement that affirms, under current law, that HTPs are not included in the definition of “cigarette,” but rather defined as “other tobacco products.”

The change would allow heated tobacco products to be taxed differently — at a lower rate — than traditional cigarettes, which are taxed at about $1.34 per pack of common sized cigarettes.

The bill cleared its latest Committee with broad support, including among all Republicans and some Democrats present. Only Rep. Anna Eskamani and Rep. Lindsay Cross, who voted as an ex-officio member of the Committee, delivered “no” votes on the measure.

Yvette Benarroch budget transparency proposal clears first House Committee

A proposal by Naples Republican Rep. Yvette Benarroch aimed at expanding and standardizing how local governments make budget information available to the public cleared its first House Committee stop, though it sparked extended debate across party lines over cost, local control and scope.

Benarroch told members of the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee that state law requires local governments to make budgets public, but does not clearly spell out how long those documents must remain available, where they must be posted or whether they must be presented in a way the public can easily use.

“Most people need Ph.D.s to understand these budgets,” Benarroch told Committee members. “What this bill is asking local governments is to make sure that it doesn’t matter what education level you have, or where you are or what ZIP code you live in, we all have and need access to know how local governments are spending our money.”

If approved, HB 1329 would specifically mandate earlier and longer online posting of tentative and adopted budgets in searchable and downloadable formats. It also requires public access to detailed spending data, employee salaries and travel expenses, increases notice and retention requirements for budget amendments, and requires a pre-adoption budget reduction exercise.