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Florida – League of Women Voters
League Priority Issues
The LWVF has set four program areas for 2011, including Government,
Education, Social Policy and Natural Resources.
Government: Promote an open government that is responsive
to the people of the state.
■
Equitable Taxation: The League supports tax
legislation that does not jeopardize local service,
addresses infrastructure deficits, and removes unfair tax
exemptions that affect governments’ ability to serve
citizens.
■
Redistricting Reform: The League supports
single‐member election districts that are equal in
population, provide access for minorities, are compact and,
when possible, take local characteristics such as political
and geographical boundaries into consideration.
■
Citizen Initiatives: For the past four
sessions, the League has fought against passage of new
restrictions on the citizens’ initiative process. As bills
addressing citizen initiatives arise; the League will oppose
bills that increase the moneyed interests’ strangle‐hold on
the initiative process and the legislative process and,
where appropriate, advance the idea of a citizen
statutory initiative.
■
Elections: The League supports
legislation that promotes stricter election audits and would
give the Supervisors of Elections more flexibility in
selecting early voting sites.
Education: Priorities are Funding, Accountability and Civic Education.
■
The League supports legislation that provides for a free public school
system with high standards for student achievement and with
equality of educational opportunity for all that is financed
adequately by the state through an equitable funding
formula.
Social Policy: Priority is Health Care.
■
The League supports measures to implement Florida health care in a manner
consistent with the LWVUS position on health care reform.
Natural Resources: Priorities are resource
management, land use, energy, freshwater resources, coastal
management, environmental protection, public participation,
and agriculture.
Get Involved
Ben Wilcox is the League’s professional lobbyist for the 2011 legislative
session. We are still looking for folks to participate in
the Lobbying Corps, so please contact Marilynn Wills
(marilynnwills@msn.com) or Rebecca Sager (rsager@music.org)
if you are interested.
Updates on League legislative issues will be provided on a regular basis
through Capitol Report, which is published every week during
the Session. Important information may also be accessed at
www.leg.state.fl.us.
Watch for your
Capitol Report
each Friday of the Session for news on
priority issues and what you can do to help.
For further information, check out the
Florida Voter
newsletter, available at www.TheFloridaVoter.org. For updates on or
copies of proposed legislation, call legislative information
at 1‐800‐342‐1827, or visit the Florida Online Sunshine
homepage at www.leg.state.fl.us.
