I believe life starts
at conception.
The Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade in the coming years.
If that happens, the decision as to whether or not abortion is
"legal" will return to the states. During the 2010
Legislative Session, the House and Senate passed
HB 1143 which includes a requirement that an ultrasound be
administered before an abortion is performed in Florida. This
bill does not go far enough, but, it is a step in the right
direction and I am proud of my favorable vote for this measure.
Unfortunately, Charlie Crist vetoed this good bill.
Smaller and More Efficient Government
When I ran for this office in
2008, I told Brevard County that I
would work "to reduce the size of Florida's government and
curtail its appetite for self growth." In addition, my goal has
been to create a business friendly environment and a
robust state economy that benefits all Floridians. With that
in mind, I filed three repealer bills to remove outdated statutes
and abolish inefficient and unneeded state agencies. Although
my repealer bills were not passed, some of the provisions were
included in
SB 1442, which was passed and signed into law.
State Sovereignty
After being elected in 2008, I
knew I wanted to be a voice for the "State Sovereignty" movement in
the Florida Legislature. I wasn't the only one with the belief that
the Federal Government was overstepping the bounds of what many
consider the reasonable exercise of power. Given this, I
filed HM 19 in the Florida House during the 2010 Legislative
Session. Commonly known as the "Tenth Amendment Resolution," the
memorial demanded that the Federal Government "adhere to and be
constrained by" the Tenth Amendment of the United States
Constitution. Unfortunately, the memorial's passage was impeded by
one chairman. However, I plan to file it again in 2011 and I have
signed the Tenth Amendment Center's pledge to further this cause in
our State. In addition to HM 19, I was the prime co-sponsor of
HJR 37 which is
a proposed Florida State Constitutional Amendment to
ensure that a free market system of health care continues in
Florida. Voters will have a chance to vote on this referendum in
November.
Illegal Immigration(my letter to FL
Today's editor, 6/6/2010)
The time for comprehensive
immigration reform is now! Washington has sent a clear message the
federal government has no intention of addressing this problem. If
the Obama administration wants to continue the decades-long policy
of inaction, the task of securing our country’s borders must be
taken up by the states. Understanding that “security” is the
paramount duty of government, Arizona is leading the way in
immigration reform. As an elected representative, I cannot allow
Florida to become unsafe as a result of federal inaction. All
businesses and taxpayers face the unfair burden of providing
federally mandated services to illegal immigrants, and putting the
brakes on this noncitizen entitlement program will save Arizona a
considerable amount of money. In Florida alone, more than $3.5
billion a year is spent on health care and criminal justice for
illegal immigrants. Given this, I think it is time for Florida to
follow Arizona’s lead. Our legislators cannot allow political
correctness and misinformation to obstruct Florida’s right to do the
job the federal government refuses to do. When a person is found to
be in this country illegally, they should be arrested, deported and
sent the bill.
(Click here to read the Arizona bill)
Florida's
Space Industry
When I was first
elected to the Florida House in November, 2008, I
began an advocacy campaign for Florida's Space
Industry. I found that "space" had been considered a
Brevard County issue and I set out to change that
thinking. Recognizing that I would need help in the
cause for Florida's "space jobs," I formed the
Florida Space Caucus. Thankfully, members from
both legislative houses joined me and with this
bipartisan coalition of over forty Senators and
Representatives, we were able to make "Space" the
top mission of the 2010 Legislative Session.
You can visit the Florida Space Caucus online by
clicking here.
Hurricane
Preparedness
When it comes to
hurricane preparations, no one will do a better job
of protecting your property than you. Each of us
has the responsibility of taking hurricane
preparations into our own hands. As your Legislator
in the Florida House, I will continue to do everything necessary
to remove the barriers between you and your
property's protection. During the 2009
Legislative Session I filed a bill to create the
"Hurricane Tax Holiday" to exempt hurricane related
supplies from sales tax. But, we can do better. My
long term goal is to exempt hurricane shutters,
panels, and other "hardening" materials from sales
taxes and permit fees throughout the entire year.
Simply, we must be proactive if we are to realize
lower property insurance costs in Florida. Clearly, the greater
the number of
homes that are protected from hurricanes, the lower the
risk shared by all Floridians will be.
