Capital Watch 2007 - Preview
Jay Liles, FWF Policy Consultant
The countdown has begun to opening week of the 2007 Florida Legislative Session. For those who live, eat and breath this stuff, the start of a session can be almost anticlimactic. Weeks of committee meetings and preparation have gone into the preliminaries. What starts on March 6, the opening day, is all of the pomp and ceremony. Then members get down to the brass tacks of votes for and against bills that have been filed and debated. The best description I have ever heard of this process is - "It's kind of like making sausage, you really don't want to see the whole process if you plan to enjoy it," or something to that effect.
Our goal over the next 60 days is to try to keep you informed and engage your interest in some of the bills that may shape Florida's environmental policy. Each week we will highlight legislation we think may help or hinder conservation strategies for the state. We will try to be concise in our opinion and attempt to stick to the facts, as we interpret them. You have every right to agree or disagree and we welcome your input. From time to time we may seek your support for or against some proposal that we believe needs your help to make the right thing happen. We hope you will use your influence with your legislator to voice your opinion as well. We encourage you to let us know if you hear of an issue you believe we should be engaged in. We may not be able to cover every issue of importance but we will try to respond with information and suggestions for help.
We have created a list of the priority issues the Florida Wildlife Federation is determined to have heard this year. Many of these issues are, or will be, addressed in one or more bills. Some have no bills filed as of yet but may appear in the form of spending bills (appropriations) or amendments. Under the heading "Bills to Watch" we have included a list of bills already filed. It is this section that will undergo the most change as we proceed through the legislative session. You may see FWF endorse a bill early on only to have to withdraw that support because of amendments filed that change the scope or impact of the legislation. Confusing, huh? Well, that is the process of law making and we hope to be helpful to you in guiding you down that road. Unfortunately, there will be detours along the way, so please be patient.
Finally, you will find a few websites under the Quick Links heading that allow you to find out what you need to know on your own. For instance it will direct you to a site that lets you listen in on debates in the legislature as well as how to contact members of the legislature. Another will direct you to our email alert system, called Florida Wildlife Federation Action Network. A quick click on the link and you can communicate with your legislator, use pre-drafted letters about issues and learn more about what's happening daily at the Capitol.
We welcome you to this first edition of Capital Watch for 2007 and hope you will find it useful and informative. Please let us know how we can make it more user-friendly as we develop the format. Now, prepare to do battle!
FWF Policy Consultant
| 
