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The Florida Senate today celebrated Florida National Guard Day at the Capitol by considering several pieces of legislation designed to help solidify Florida’s reputation as the friendliest state in the nation for active duty military, veterans and their families. [Read more…] about Senate Celebrates National Guard Day at the Capitol
The Florida Senate today celebrated Military Appreciation and Florida National Guard Day at the Capitol by considering several pieces of legislation designed to help solidify Florida’s reputation as the friendliest state in the nation for active duty military, veterans and their families. Led by Senator Audrey Gibson (D-Jacksonville), chair of the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security, the Senate also honored the Florida National Guard, as well as Senators and Senate Professional Staff who have served in the Unites States Armed Forces.
“We are so pleased to welcome and honor our Adjutant General, Major General Michael Calhoun and several members of the Florida National Guard,” said Senator Gibson who sponsored a Senate resolution honoring the Florida National Guard for their service during the 2017 Hurricane Season. “When Floridians are facing some of the most challenging times, the Florida National Guard is at its best springing into action at a moment’s notice to help Floridians in need. We are so grateful for their courageous service to our state during the recent hurricane season.”
“My Senate colleagues and I are committed to enacting policies that keep Florida the number one state for active duty members of our armed forces, veterans, and their families,” said Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart). “The legislation we discussed today sends a clear message that Florida is truly the Welcome Home State. From veterans of the War on Terror returning from Iraq or Afghanistan and looking to further their education, to Lieutenant Sconiers whose remains made it home to Florida nearly seventy five years after he gave his life for the freedom of others, we are honored that so many of our nation’s finest choose to call Florida home.”
The Senate considered the following legislation today. The legislation will be available for final passage later this week.
Identification Card and Driver License Fees for Veterans
Senate Bill 100, Identification Card and Driver License Fees for Veterans, by Senator Greg Steube (R-Sarasota), eliminates the $1 or $2 fee a veteran must pay to have the word “Veteran” displayed on an identification card or driver license issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV).
Additionally, Senate Bill 100 prohibits tax collector offices from charging the $6.25 service fee for driver license services rendered, upon providing the specified documentation proving veteran status. The bill also provides for additional forms of identification a veteran may present to the DHSMV as proof of veteran status.
Postsecondary Fee Waivers
Senate Bill 460, Postsecondary Fee Waivers, by Senator George Gainer (R-Panama City), authorizes a Florida College System institution to waive certain fees for a person who is an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces and using military tuition assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Florida Veterans Care Program
Senate Bill 440, Florida Veterans Care Program, by Senator Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah), addresses specific access and quality of care concerns Florida’s veterans continue to face by authorizing the state to operate the Florida Veterans Care Program (program), which would offer veterans and their families an alternative gateway to quality medical coverage.
Through use of the existing infrastructure and operations of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program, or a similar program, veterans and their families would be able to voluntarily enroll and elect coverage quickly through participating managed care plans as an alternative to the federal veterans’ health care system. The program is designed to be administratively simple, and would seek to leverage existing managed medical assistance and long-term care operations to reduce costs and expand choices. The bill authorizes the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs to negotiate with the federal government for federal funding for the program, but the program may not be implemented without prior legislative approval.
Lieutenant Ewart T. Sconiers Highway
Senate Bill 330, Transportation Facility Designations/Lieutenant Ewart T. Sconiers Highway, by Senator Gainer designates the portion of U.S. 90/S.R. 10 between S.R. 285 and N. 9th Street/S.R. 83 in Walton County as “Lieutenant Ewart T. Sconiers Highway.”
Lieutenant Sconiers was born in 1915 and raised in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He attended the University of Florida before enlisting in the Army on September 16, 1941. He was shot down and captured on October 21, 1942. He was imprisoned in German-occupied Poland and later passed away there on January 24, 1944. In April of 2017, his remains were found and positively identified. After nearly seventy-five years, Lieutenant Sconiers was laid to rest in DeFuniak Springs with full military honors on January 27, 2018.
WHAT: The Florida Department of Military Affairs and the Florida National Guard will host “Florida National Guard Day” at the Capitol.
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 8 a.m. until around 3 p.m.
WHERE: The State Capitol complex (courtyard), Tallahassee.
The Florida National Guard will begin bringing displays to the Florida’s Capitol, Monday afternoon, with Soldiers, Airmen and their representative equipment in support of its annual Florida National Guard Day, held Tuesday.
The Department of Military Affairs and the Florida National Guard sponsor the visit to Tallahassee as part of an annual program to educate the public and government personnel on various roles and missions of the Guard. The event also allows the Florida National Guard to thank the community for its continued support.
The day’s events include:
* The Florida National Guard’s 13th Army Band from Miami will present a program of military music during the lunch hour while Soldiers serve hotdogs and beverages.
* In the Capitol plaza, the Guard will display an assortment of military equipment used during emergency and combat operations.
* Information displays that describe the important community service programs run by the Guard will be located in the Capitol rotunda.
In preparation for the event, there may be increased traffic in the Capitol area Monday and Tuesday afternoon as equipment is transported to and from the Capitol complex.
“Governor Scott Proclaimed National Guard Day in Florida”
WFLA-TB (NBC) – Tampa Bay, FL
March 21, 2017
To view the clip, click HERE.
Governor Rick Scott today proclaimed March 21, 2017 as National Guard Day in Florida. He also awarded more than 50 Florida veterans with the Governor’s Veterans Service Medal during Florida National Guard Day at the State Capitol. To view the proclamation, see below or click HERE.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to dedicate today to the brave members of Florida’s National Guard. These men and women stand ready to serve our country and respond to the needs of our communities during natural disasters and emergencies. The State of Florida is forever grateful to these heroes and their families who make countless sacrifices in defense of our freedom.”
FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD DAY
WHEREAS, as the military arm of the Governor and the people of the State of Florida in times of crisis or emergency, the Florida National Guard stands ready to immediately respond to a call from the Governor; and
WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard traces its lineage back 450 years to 1565 when the first muster of a civilian militia took place in St. Augustine, making Florida’s Militia the oldest in the nation; and
WHEREAS, today’s Florida National Guard stands strong with approximately 12,000 highly trained and skilled men and women who serve as Soldiers and Airmen in today’s modern Guard; and
WHEREAS, the men and women of the Florida National Guard and their families willingly make sacrifices during times of hurricanes, fires, floods, and other natural disasters, serving domestically and around the world in contingency operations; and
WHEREAS, more than 20,000 men and women of the Florida National Guard have answered the call to federal active duty, without reservation, following the attack on our nation September 11, 2001, and have served with distinction and honor during Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and continue to serve in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Observant Compass, which continue to take these dedicated Guardsmen far from their families and friends while they ensure we are safe at home; and
WHEREAS, the employers of our Guardsmen and their families have made significant sacrifices to conduct their businesses during the absence of our Guardsmen, while still providing jobs for the members of the Guard when they return home; and
WHEREAS, the men and women of the Florida National Guard remain involved in hundreds of community service projects across our state each day and contribute to local programs that add value to our nation and our state;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Rick Scott, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby extend greetings and best wishes to all observing March 21, 2017, as Florida National Guard Day and call on all Floridians to honor the significant contributions and consistent readiness of the Florida National Guard and to gratefully acknowledge the faithful service of its dedicated soldiers and airmen.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed at Tallahassee, the Capital, this 15th day of March, in the year two thousand seventeen.
