As the last day of the regular legislative session, is creeping closer and closer it is now crunch time in the Florida Senate. During some of Tuesday’s Senate meetings, hot topics on the agenda were Committees on Appropriations, Education K-12 and the Department of Corrections.
The presentation by the DOC provided an overview of inmate health care services, including a description of the procurement process for the short-term interim contract, considerations for the planned procurement after completion of the terms of the current contracts and the long-term fiscal outlook for providing health services to inmates.
Greg Bound, Tallahassee Correctional Office Official, shared his concerns with the new appointees and if they were a true fit to have those positions.
“I call it fraud! I mean straight up in your face fraud. These people are corrupt and don’t deserve to be here,” Bound said.
There were only five new conformations to the office of corrections.
Committees on Appropriations and Education K-12 Early Childhood Development provided an exception from a prohibition against the use of information in the Department of Children and Families central abuse hotline for employment screening of certain child care personnel.
The exception revised the requirements for the Department of Health to maintain a clearinghouse of information for parents and health care providers, and to increase public awareness of developmental evaluation and early intervention programs by establishing the Early Steps Program within the department.
During the meeting, Tom Delacenserie was appointed the new secretary of the Florida Lottery. The Florida Lottery helps many Florida students attend college with its Bright Future Scholarship.
Senator Thompson addressed why advertising is so strong in the Hispanic regions and not within the African-American areas.
“The main reason is due to the language. Again, we want to be fair across the board but the language is a big factor,” Delacenserie said.
The Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse included services provided to treatment-based mental health programs within case management funded from state revenues as an element of the state courts system.
This requires assessment findings to be provided to the plan that is financially responsible for a child’s care in residential treatment under certain circumstances.
Dan Carlton addressed the suspension of four people that were terminated from their notary office positions. These four were terminated due to many given attempts to reclaim their jobs by mail and office phone.
“It’s always a sad time when someone loses their position, but if you don’t open certified mail you know consequences will come,” Carlton said.
To get the latest information on what is taking place inside the Florida senate please visit www.FLSenate.gov.