In his first speech as Florida Speaker of the Home, Paul Renner centered Tuesday on bread-and-butter measures similar to lowering taxes and making housing extra attainable but in addition touched on a tradition conflict agenda that has outlined the Ron DeSantis regime in Tallahassee.
On the Legislature’s organizational assembly Tuesday morning, Renner took intention at “idealogues” who he mentioned search “to politicize every part, who deal with their ideology as a faith and demand we comply with it, irrespective of the prices.”
“They’ve pushed indoctrination on the expense of schooling. They spend extra time defending drag queen story time than really selling phonics and the science of studying,” he mentioned, including that on this month’s midterm election, “mothers and dads despatched a transparent message to these ideologues: Our youngsters are usually not your social experiment!”
The reference to “drag queen story time” rubbed Jacksonville-area Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon the flawed manner. She informed the Phoenix after Renner’s speech that that passage in his speech was inappropriate coming simply a few days after a gunman in Colorado Springs, Colorado killed 5 folks and wounded no less than 18 extra at a homosexual nightclub.
“He was attacking drag queens and the LGBT neighborhood at a time after we needs to be working collectively and uplifting all humanity, he selected to as soon as once more make a line within the sand and create tradition wars, after we needs to be addressing the excessive rising price of inflation and this housing disaster that we’re at the moment in,” Nixon mentioned.
Renner additionally took intention at “ideologues” who he says have co-opted the enterprise neighborhood by emphasizing Environmental, Social and Governance objectives (ESG) that extra companies have adopted in recent times in reply to calls for by buyers for such investments.
This previous summer time, Gov. DeSantis, Legal professional Basic Ashley Moody and Chief Monetary Officer Jimmy Patronis efficiently pushed through a ban on contemplating ESG standards in state pension fund investments.
Renner mentioned that credit standing companies have began to require states to supply information to measure their compliance with ESG’s “political dogma,” which he mentioned may result in California receiving a greater credit standing than Florida as a result of Sunshine State leaders are resisting such efforts.
Renner mentioned that’s why he despatched a letter Tuesday to the state’s three credit standing companies, “demanding they drop the politics and return to goal, monetary standards, universally acknowledged to measure a state’s credit standing.”
Referencing Hurricanes Ian and Nicole which have devastated components of Florida over the previous few months, Renner additionally mentioned that he was establishing a choose committee on hurricane resiliency and restoration.
Like Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Renner eschewed any point out of abortion in his 15-minute speech. However with dozens of anti-abortion activists contained in the Capitol on Tuesday calling for extra restrictions, Renner was compelled to handle the difficulty whereas assembly with reporters in a while Tuesday.
He famous that there are “pro-life” majorities in each the Home and Senate however added nothing substantive concerning Passidomo’s current feedback that she wish to additional prohibit abortions in Florida from the present 15 week ban to 12 weeks – whereas including exceptions for rape and incest that aren’t in at the moment Florida legislation, in keeping with the Miami Herald.
The Florida Legislature is anticipated to carry a particular session subsequent month to cope with the state’s property insurance coverage disaster. Gov. DeSantis has mentioned not too long ago that he may see the Legislature holding extra particular periods earlier than the common session begins subsequent March.
However Renner mentioned he believes particular periods ought to solely be held when they’re time delicate, like property insurance coverage. He mentioned he would hold an open thoughts about doing such periods, however didn’t point out any specific difficulty that rises to that stage.
The state of Florida’s unemployment web site melted down in 2020 when the pandemic created an enormous demand in unemployment advantages. It additionally delivered to gentle the truth that Florida solely gives unemployment advantages of $275 per week, and just for 12 weeks. That mixture is without doubt one of the lowest advantages within the nation.
When requested if he wish to see motion on elevating that profit, Renner mentioned he was extra involved about the truth that employers inform him that they’re nonetheless having issues hiring folks for the reason that pandemic started – a criticism that started again when there have been individuals who stop their jobs after they started accumulating federal unemployment advantages when COVID-19 hit (these funds resulted in 2020).
He did say that the issues with the state having the ability to course of folks’s unemployment advantages had been “unacceptable,” however added that “I feel that we must be cautious to ensure that we don’t create the clearly unintended penalties that befell because of this.”
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