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Florida Constitution Revision Commission

CRC Meeting Schedule Week of January 22-26

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) noticed the following meeting schedule for the week of January 22-26, 2018. CRC meetings are open to the public. Members of the public wishing to address CRC committees will be provided an opportunity to speak at the direction of the respective committee chair. Visit flcrc.gov/Committees for additional information on CRC committees.
The Interim Calendar is available on the CRC Calendars Page at flcrc.gov/Meetings/Calendars.
Monday, January 22

  • No scheduled meetings

Tuesday, January 23

  • No scheduled meetings

Wednesday, January 24

  • No scheduled meetings

Thursday, January 25

Friday, January 26

Constitution Revision Commission Committee Passes Marsy’s Law for Florida

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The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) Declaration of Rights Committee today voted in favor of a proposal to create a Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights in the state constitution, known as Marsy’s Law for Florida. The proposal (Proposal 96), submitted to the CRC by Commissioner Tim Cerio, will provide victims of crimes with rights and protections equal to those of the accused and convicted. In the coming months, the full CRC will vote on Marsy’s Law for Florida.
“This was a critical step forward for Marsy’s Law for Florida and I thank the members of the Declaration of Rights Committee who voted in favor of this commonsense proposal that will bring the scales of justice into balance for Florida victims and their families,” said Commissioner Cerio.
Marsy’s Law for Florida would amend Florida’s Constitution to include basic rights for victims and their families, such as the right to be notified of major developments in the criminal case, the right to be informed if any changes to the offender’s custodial status, the right to restitution and the right to have a voice in court proceedings, plea bargains or parole hearings.
“Our United States Constitution specifies 20 distinct rights for criminals and those accused of crimes. There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that speaks to victims’ rights. But, where the U.S. Constitution is silent, Florida’s state constitution does not have to be,” added Commissioner Cerio.
Marsy’s Law for Florida has garnered bipartisan support from CRC members and other leaders across the state. The proposal is currently co-sponsored by CRC Commissioners Patricia Levesque, Darlene Jordan, Fred Karlinsky, Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, Brecht Heuchan, Belinda Keiser and Sen. Darryl Rouson. Sen. Lauren Book, a survivor of child sexual abuse, has also endorsed the measure.
“Floridians deserve the opportunity to vote for constitutional protections for crime victims and their families,” said Sen. Book. “And today, we are one step closer to seeing Marsy’s Law on the ballot. We owe today’s victory to the courageous voices of victims, survivors, and families from across the state who have opened themselves and their stories to this process to help us make things different and better for others.”
To be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot as a constitutional amendment, Marsy’s Law for Florida must first be passed by the full CRC with a minimum of 22 favorable votes. The proposal then must receive 60 percent of the vote to be placed in the Florida Constitution.

Statement from Emmett Reed, FHCA Executive Director, on CRC Proposal 88 hearing

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Statement from Emmett Reed, FHCA Executive Director, on CRC Proposal 88 hearing
“In today’s hearing, a committee of the Constitution Revision Commission approved the misguided Proposal 88. The proposal claims to strengthen the rights of long term care residents throughout Florida, but in reality it is nothing more than an avaricious ploy by trial lawyers to profit from increased lawsuits against nursing centers.
“Ultimately, Proposal 88 fails to focus on what is important for Florida’s nursing center residents and caregivers. Its provisions undermine the hard work of thousands of health care professionals who provide outstanding care for some of Florida’s most vulnerable citizens. Existing state and federal laws guarantee the rights of nursing center residents and these laws have been working well to support the advances in quality that are being made in Florida nursing centers today. We are always working with state leaders to improve the quality of care for our residents and understand what resources are needed for our caregivers to truly make a difference. Our members strive every day to provide those resources to improve the lives of those under our care.
“In approving this ill-advised proposal, committee members ignored a significant amount of data presented today about the quality of Florida care centers – including the fact that Florida is among the best in the nation in nursing and Certified Nursing Assistants staffing ratios; that reforms in 2001 led to more systemic approaches to delivering care, including risk management and quality assurance programs, grievance policies and procedures, and resident-centered care; and that new federal rules announced in November make major updates in residents’ rights, care planning, quality assurance, and assessments. I am tremendously disappointed to see Proposal 88 advance. Still, I hope the full Constitution Revision Commission will see that these unreasonable provisions do not belong in the Florida Constitution. In the long run, this will do more harm than good for the caregivers and residents in Florida’s nursing centers.”

CRC Meeting Schedule Week of January 15-19

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) noticed the following meeting schedule for the week of January 15-19, 2018. CRC meetings are open to the public. Members of the public wishing to address CRC committees will be provided an opportunity to speak at the direction of the respective committee chair. Visit flcrc.gov/Committees for additional information on CRC committees.
The Interim Calendar is available on the CRC Calendars Page at flcrc.gov/Meetings/Calendars.
Monday, January 15

  • No scheduled meetings

Tuesday, January 16

  • No scheduled meetings 

Wednesday, January 17

  • No scheduled meetings 

Thursday, January 18
NOTE: Meetings on this date will be held at locations outside the Capitol Complex. Visit committee pages for location details.

Friday, January 19

AIF Statement Regarding CRC Judicial Committee’s Vote on CRC Proposal 23

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Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs Brewster Bevis released the following statement regarding the Judicial Committee of the Constitution Revision Commission unanimously voting today to oppose CRC Proposal 23.
“AIF commends the CRC’s Judicial Committee for listening to the concerns of Florida’s business community and appropriately voting down CRC Proposal 23. This unnecessary proposal would have opened up not only Florida businesses, but private citizens as well, to endless litigation and harmful uncertainty.
“With the Judicial Committee’s vote today, Florida’s comprehensive, thoughtfully crafted environmental policy will remain intact, continuing to protect the rights of Floridians and provide much-needed regulatory certainty and stability for businesses moving forward.
“We support the decision made by the CRC Judicial Committee today and agree that proposals such as this do not belong on the Florida Constitution.”

CRC Meeting Schedule Week of January 8-12

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) noticed the following meeting schedule for the week of January 8-12, 2018. CRC meetings are open to the public. Members of the public wishing to address CRC committees will be provided an opportunity to speak at the direction of the respective committee chair. Visit flcrc.gov/Committees for additional information on CRC committees.
The Interim Calendar is available on the CRC Calendars Page at flcrc.gov/Meetings/Calendars.
Monday, January 8

  • No scheduled meetings

Tuesday, January 9

  • No scheduled meetings

Wednesday, January 10

  • No scheduled meetings

Thursday, January 11
NOTE: Some meetings on this date will be held at locations outside the Capitol Complex. Visit committee pages for location details.

Friday, January 12

FHCA: Constitution Revision Commission Should Act Carefully on Changes Affecting Care Options for Frail Elders

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Members of the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) today provided members of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) with invaluable information and insights to help preserve a crucial policy affecting the care of Florida’s most frail residents. In presentations to a CRC panel, FHCA speakers detailed why nursing centers should be removed from any repeal of the Certificate of Need process.

FHCA, Florida’s largest advocacy organization representing 82% of Florida nursing centers and the elderly they serve, told the CRC General Provisions Committee that both the quality of care for the state’s seniors and the health of the nursing centers that care for them could be significantly impacted by a proposal under consideration. The association is advocating for an exemption for nursing homes from a proposed Constitutional Amendment (Proposal 54) that would eliminate the Certificate of Need (CON) process for all health care facilities.

“Repealing nursing home Certificate of Need will most certainly result in unmanaged growth, low occupancy rates, inefficiencies in how buildings operate, and a reduction in the value of our state’s nursing centers. All of this will greatly impact how quality care is provided to our state’s seniors,” Brian Perry of HCR ManorCare, which operates 29 nursing centers in Florida, told members of the committee.

“CON repeal has affected elder care in other states,” Perry noted. “For example, Texas operates twice as many nursing centers as Florida but is plagued by facilities that have beds that remain empty and deliver a poor quality of care. Indiana was forced to impose a moratorium on building nursing centers due to unmanaged growth 16 years after it repealed its CON process.”

Jeff Marshall of Omega Healthcare Investors, a real estate investment trust with the nation’s largest portfolio of nursing home investments, told committee members that limiting the supply of nursing home beds to meet demand through the CON process represents a very important element of stabilizing nursing home value, encouraging both initial investment and subsequent reinvestment to enhance quality of care and environment for residents.

“Elimination of the nursing home CON process would ultimately lead to the unintended consequence of reduced access to nursing home care for Floridians covered by Medicaid,” said Marshall. “As newly built nursing homes focus on admitting profitable Medicare, insurance, and private-pay patients to cover construction costs, Medicaid residents will increasingly be restricted to older nursing homes. Those facilities that serve the highest percentage of Medicaid residents will suffer the most upon elimination of the CON process – not a desirable outcome.”

FHCA speakers also noted that by promoting an environment in which new nursing centers would have to lure elders to fill costly beds, repeal of CON for nursing centers would run contrary to Florida’s long-standing commitment to enabling elders to remain in their homes or in community-based care for as long as possible.

“Florida has attained a system that strikes the right balance. Those who can be cared for in a home and community-based setting are receiving it there – and those who come to my nursing center and others around the state do so because that is the only place they can safely receive the more specialized care they need,” said Joe Mitchell, CEO of mid-size nursing center operator Summit Care.

More information on how the Certificate of Need issue may affect the care of Floridians in skilled nursing centers can be found at cqrcengage.com/ahcafl/CONProcess.

Gov. Scott Applauds CRC for Passing Proposal to Make It Harder to Raise Taxes

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Governor Rick Scott today made the following statement regarding the Constitution Revision Commission Finance and Taxation committee’s passage of a proposal that would make it harder for politicians to raise taxes and fees by requiring 2/3 majority vote by future legislatures to increase any taxes or fees. The proposal will be heard by the full CRC. If approved, Florida voters would have the opportunity to add this measure to the Florida Constitution.
Governor Scott said, “I want to thank the members of the CRC’s Finance and Taxation committee for protecting Florida families from unfair tax and fee increases by future politicians. As a businessman myself, I understand how the decisions made in Tallahassee can affect companies and families who rely on Florida’s low tax burden to succeed. I will also continue to work with the legislature to get this amendment on the ballot, and will stop at nothing to ensure that we continue to build on our success of cutting taxes more than 75 times during our time in office. I would also like to thank Commissioner Fred Karlinsky for sponsoring this amendment and fighting to ensure our state’s continued economic growth.”

CRC Meeting Schedule Week of December 11-15

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) noticed the following meeting schedule for the week of December 11-15, 2017. CRC meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed by The Florida Channel on TheFloridaChannel.org. Members of the public wishing to address CRC committees will be provided an opportunity to speak at the direction of the respective committee chair. Visit flcrc.gov/Committees for additional information on CRC committees.
The Interim Calendar is available on the CRC Calendars Page at flcrc.gov/Meetings/Calendars/2017.
Monday, December 11

  • No meetings scheduled.

Tuesday, December 12

Wednesday, December 13

Thursday, December 14

Friday, December 15

  • No meetings scheduled.

CRC Meeting Schedule Week of November 27-December 1

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) noticed the following meeting schedule for the week of November 27-December 1, 2017. CRC meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed by The Florida Channel on TheFloridaChannel.org. Members of the public wishing to address CRC committees will be provided an opportunity to speak at the direction of the respective committee chair. Visit flcrc.gov/Committees for additional information on CRC committees.
The Interim Calendar is available on the CRC Calendars Page.
Monday, November 27

Tuesday, November 28

Wednesday, November 29

Thursday, November 30

Friday, December 1

  • No meetings scheduled.