District 67 State Consultant and State Home Minority Chief Fentrice Driskell is already up in Tallahassee, awaiting tomorrow’s begin of the Common 2025 Session of the Florida Legislature.
However, on Feb. 26, Rep. Driskell was on the New Tampa Performing Arts Heart, in entrance of 50-60 New Tampa residents (there could have been just a few folks from exterior of our space, too), discussing that upcoming session.
Rep. Driskell mentioned that serving within the State Home, “has been the best honor of my life, however as you understand, we live in some heavy political occasions and there’s a lot occurring.”
She famous that Florida’s state authorities is considerably mimicking the federal authorities, in that each one 4 legislative homes have a Republican majority (an excellent majority right here in Florida), and each chief executives — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. President Donald Trump — are also Republicans.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Rep. Driskell mentioned of the upcoming legislative session, “particularly when it’s already apparent that the State Legislature is in a posture to assist the agenda of President Trump.”
Rep. Driskell mentioned the state legislature already has held three particular periods on immigration. “We realized quite a bit from that,” she mentioned. “There have been two immigration payments that handed and I imagine each are unconstitutional on their face, which I why I voted towards each of them. However, I do urge the U.S. Congress to cross some significant laws on immigration in its upcoming session.” She additionally famous that the bipartisan immigration invoice that was on the desk final 12 months, “was successfully killed by then-candidate Donald Trump and I imagine we have to get again to that (invoice).”
As for the payments she plans to sponsor on this 12 months’s common session, Rep. Driskell mentioned, “I’ll be carrying two payments with respect to the challenges we’re going through with governmental interference in well being care, notably with abortion. The primary invoice would kill the 6-week abortion ban and take us again to a time when sufferers and their medical doctors and households made these selections. That will take politicians out of the examination rooms.”
She added that the second invoice she’s bringing to session says that, “If we’re persevering with to have this (six-week) ban, we want medical doctors to know what the restrictions are. We have now heard tales about ladies attending to the purpose the place they’ve sepsis as a result of medical doctors are afraid to deal with them as a result of they don’t wish to face felony legal responsibility. This invoice will present readability so well being care skilled can deal with ladies. We don’t need ladies dying as a result of medical doctors are afraid to deal with them.”
Rep. Driskell is also carrying a invoice about water high quality, each almost about consuming water and with pink tide. “It’s surprising how a lot lead is in our consuming water,” she says. “We all know there may be lead within the water fountains at our faculties.” She additionally talked about that there was a pink tide activity pressure that labored on that challenge two years in the past, “however the suggestions have simply sat there and haven’t been applied. We’re pushing to undertake these suggestions to guard our water.”
The State Home Minority Chief additionally plans to work on tweaking the cemetery laws she beforehand handed to assist honor these buried in deserted cemeteries, one other to have a courtroom reporter current throughout youngster custody hearings, “which may usually get contentious,” to protect the report of what’s mentioned throughout these proceedings, and extra.
Rep. Driskell says she is aware of that nothing will come straightforward for her minority get together this 12 months, “However I’ve by no means been afraid to name out my fellow legislators or the governor after I really feel they’re shifting within the improper route, specializing in the improper issues and never prioritizing you.”
We plan to obtain extra updates from Chief Driskell after this 12 months’s session ends, which is scheduled to be on Might 2.
