|
Today, President Albritton and Speaker Perez released changes to committees in advance of the 2025 legislative session No images? Click here  Legislative Leadership & Committee AnnouncementsToday, President Albritton released information about his leadership team, while Speaker Perez released information about the House's planned committee structure
President Albritton makes key announcements about his leadership teamSen. Brodeur will serve as President Pro Tempore, while Sen. Boyd will serve as Majority Leader. Sens. Passidomo, Hooper, and Gruters will Chair Rules, Appropriations, and Fiscal Policy, respectively. 
Speaker Perez outlines committee structure, announces new budget committeeFrom: Daniel Perez, Speaker-designate {Below} you will find the proposed House committee structure for the 2024-2026 term. This memo outlines the thought process behind the proposed structure and highlights some of the more notable changes. Rather than creating committees with little work to do just so that a few more Members can have the title “chairman,” we have proposed a leaner structure that will make service on committees more meaningful for all of you. Although we cannot definitively predict what bills will ultimately be filed, based on patterns in recent years, these committees should have a sufficient workload to make your service engaging and meaningful. Our process should honor and be worthy of the time commitment you are making to serve. You will note that the House of Representatives will no longer have an “Appropriations Committee” (or subcommittees) but instead will have a “Budget Committee” (and subcommittees). Although seemingly a cosmetic change, it carries a deeper philosophical point. We have spent taxpayer funds excessively and indiscriminately in the last few years. Member projects in the House budget have grown from $174 million in 2019 to $1.3 billion in 2024, which is a 645% increase. As elected officials, we should not be asking, “How much of the public’s money can we spend?” As a House, we should do what Florida’s working families do every day: budget their money responsibly. We also have reconceptualized the subcommittees under the Education & Employment Committee to move away from the historic K-12/higher education divide. We need to see our education system as a singular enterprise with the purpose of preparing our kids for their futures whether those futures lead them to college or a profession. The E&E subcommittees will all have a PreK-20 jurisdiction and instead focus on the nature of the education issue under consideration rather than the type of program. The proposed committee structure contains two notable additions that set them apart from prior House committees. We will be creating an Information Technology Budget & Policy Subcommittee, which will be a single combined policy and budget subcommittee that will fall under both the Budget Committee silo and the State Affairs silo. Florida invests hundreds of millions of dollars in information technology projects, many of which fail. As a Legislature, we have no clear information technology policy strategy. Our response to the repeated failure to execute IT projects has been to create, dissolve, and recreate a technology agency. Technology policy in the Legislature either happens informally through behind-the-scenes conversations or appears as language buried in budget proviso. As policymakers and stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must do a better job. This new subcommittee will bring this dialogue to the forefront and put this conversation where it should be – in the hands of the Members in a committee setting. This new subcommittee will play a direct role in our budget process. They will receive a technology allocation from the Speaker, evaluate all technology projects proposed for the state budget, discuss all of those projects in an open forum, and look for synergies and strategic alignments whether we are investing in a potential IT solution for AHCA or DHSMV. The subcommittee will make recommendations directly to the full Budget Committee for incorporation into the House General Appropriations Act. The second new addition will be the creation of the Security & Threat Assessment Committee. Traditionally, presiding officers have been given access to confidential information. I believe that in a healthy legislative body that the circle of trust should be wider. This new committee will function as a forum where committee members will have an opportunity to be briefed on issues including law enforcement threats, cybersecurity threats, and threats to the Capitol complex. In order to protect the identity of witnesses and confidential sources, a secured briefing will be open only to members of the committee. We do not expect the committee will meet often, but it is important that more Members are included in these important conversations. In addition to a simple committee list, we have attached a document with a description of each committee and subcommittee’s jurisdiction. As indicated in yesterday’s memorandum, committee preference forms will be sent out after the conclusion of Organization Session on November 19, and should be returned by noon on December 6 after the conclusion of Legislator University. As you review the proposed structure, I hope you will see committees or subcommittees that excite you and will keep you fully engaged as we focus on the business of the people of Florida. Florida House of Representatives: Proposed Committee Structure for 2024-2026 Term Budget Committee
Commerce Committee
Education & Employment Committee
Health & Human Services Committee
Judiciary Committee
Rules & Ethics Committee Security & Threat Assessment Committee State Affairs Committee
Ways & Means Committee Joint Committees (established in the Joint Rules)
|
