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Home My Public Portal AboutLTC 178-2015 Legislative Committee Week Report - October 19, 2015BAL HARBOUR V I L L A G E - OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER LETTER TO COUNCIL NO. 178-2015 To: Mayor Martin Packer and Members of the Village Council From: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager Date: October 30, 2015 Subject: Legislative Committee Week Report - October 19, 2015 The purpose of this Letter to Council (LTC) is to transmit the attached Legislative Committee Week Report provided by Ron L. Book. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact me. Paula Rodriguez From: Rana Brown <Rana@rlbookpa.com> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2015 5:14 PM To: jgonzalez@balharbour.org; prodriguez@baIharbour.org Subject: Legislative Committee Week - October 19 Hello Mr. Manager, On behalf of Ronald L. Book, Kelly Mallette and myself, please find below our report for the October 19th legislative committee week. Should you have any questions on issues in our reports, or any other issue, please do not hesitate to call or email us. Thank you. Rana Brown Ralald L bank, Y. R 1Rflbhm$ milsoitit'In amlll Ronald L. Book Ronald L. Book, P.A. Harbour Centre 18851 N.E. 29th Ave., Ste. 1010 Aventura, FL 33180 Phone: 305.935.1866 TLH Office: 850.224.3427 Email: ron xlbook ap com Committee Week Report - October 19 - 22 Kelly C. Mallette Ronald L. Book, P.A. Harbour Centre 18851 N.E. 29th Ave., Ste. 1010 Aventura, FL 33180 Phone: 305.935.1866 TLH Office: 850.224.3427 Email: kellyLcUlbookpa.com Rana G. Brown Ronald L. Book, P.A. Harbour Centre 18851 N.E. 29th Ave., Ste. 1010 Aventura, FL 33180 Phone: 305.935.1866 TLH Office: 850.224.3427 Email: rana(@,rlbookpa.com As we work our way through committee weeks toward the Regular Legislative Session, (which begins January 12th, 2016), the Legislature also began Special Session C this week, to redraw the state Senate district maps. The redistricting process has yet to be finalized, as the Senate continued to meet throughout this week to determine which of a handful of maps will be the map to put forth for a vote. Today, the Senate Committee on Redistricting approved map 2-C after amending Senator Galvano's Plan (S026S9090) onto the joint resolution. The proposal is scheduled for a full Senate debate and vote when they convene on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 12:00 noon. After the Senate debate and vote, should the map pass, the map plan then goes to the House for approval. As noted above, the Redistricting Special Session C is ongoing, and is scheduled through November Oh. In our summary below, please find several bills that affect local governments. As always, should you have questions on these issues or any others, do not hesitate to reach out to us. BILLS TO WATCH Below are a number of bills that have been filed to date, and are of interest to local governments. We will continually add to this list as the legislative committee meetings progress and bills are filed. Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms: HB 4031 (Steube) would delete the prohibition on concealed carry licensees from openly carrying handgun or carrying a concealed weapon or firearm into any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district, any meeting of the Legislature or a committee meeting of the legislature, and in any career center. Effective Date: July 1, 2016 This bill has not been heard to date. HB 4031: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bi1U2016/4031/BillText/Filed/PDF Traffic Infraction Detectors (Red Light Cameras): SB 168 (Brandes) and HB 4027 (Artiles) would repeal the use of red light cameras. SB 168: htt://www.flsenate. ov/SessionBill/2016/0168BillText/Filed/PDF HB 4027: http://www.flsenate.gov/SessionBiIU2016/4027/BillText/Filed/PDF Sales Tax on Commercial Real Property: HB 215 (Ahern) would phase out taxes on the rental of commercial property over the next decade. This bill would gradually increase tax exemptions and completely repeal the tax by January 2025. HB 215: http://www.flsenate.gov/SessionBill/2016/0215/BillText/Filed/PDF Tax on Sales, Use, and Other Transactions/Commercial and Sales and Use Tax Reduction: SB 116 (Hukill) would also reduce the commercial property tax, by trimming the tax rate from 6 percent to 5 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2017. Additionally, the bill reduces sales and use tax revenue by $119.6 m in FY 2016-2017 and $287m on a recurring basis. It decreases General Revenue and local revenue by $254.Im and $32.9m, respectively, on a recurring basis. In FY 2016-2017, the bill reduces General Revenue by $105m and local revenue by $137m. The bill would take effect January 1, 2017. The bill has passed two of its three committees of reference unanimously. SB 116: http://www.flsenate.gov/SessionBill/2016/0116BillText/Filed/PDF Tax on Communications Services: SB 256 (Hukill) would reduce the tax rates applied to the sales of communications services and retail sales of direct -to -home satellite services, revise the allocation of revenue received from the tax on retail sales of direct -to -home satellite services. This bill has not been heard to date. SB 256: http://www.flsenate.gov/SessionBill/2016/0256BillText/Filed/PDF Public Procurement Practices: SB 124 (Evers) requires a private entity that submits an unsolicited proposal to pay an initial application fee and additional amounts if the fee does not cover certain costs. It deletes provisions relating to notice to affected local jurisdictions by which the responsible public entity would no longer be required to notify each affected local jurisdiction when considering a proposal for a qualifying project. Also, this bill would increase the dollar threshold for a contract amount of a project for which a person, the state, or a political subdivision is prohibited from refusing a surety bond issued by a surety company, and deletes provisions creating the Partnership for Public Facilities and Infrastructure Act Guidelines Task Force. This bill has not been heard to date. SB 124: http://www.flsenate.gov/SessionBi1U2016/0124BillText/Filed/PDF Texting while Driving: SB 328 (Altman) would authorize law enforcement officers to stop motor vehicles and issue citations as a primary offense to persons who are texting while driving. Currently texting while driving is a secondary offense. This bill has not been heard to date. SB 328: http://www.flsenate.gov/SessionBill/2016/0328BillText/Filed/PDF Texting while Driving in a School Zone: HB 25 (Stark) is a different approach, which would only make texting while driving a primary offense while in a school zone or in a school crossing. This bill has not been heard to date. HB 25: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2016/0025/BillText/Filed/PDF E Community Investment Program: HB 33 (Rodgers) and SB 240 (Soto) would establish an investment program within the Department Of Economic Opportunity. The program will focus investment to reduce poverty in economically disadvantaged communities. This bill has not been heard to date. HB 33: hhtt ://www.flsenate.pov/SessionBill/2016/0033/BiliText/Filed/PDF Public Works Projects: SB 598 (Brandes) would prohibit the state and political subdivisions that contract for the construction, maintenance, repair, or improvement of public works from imposing restrictive conditions on contractors, subcontractors, or material suppliers or carriers; prohibits the state and political subdivisions from restricting qualified bidders from submitting bids. In this bill, a Political subdivision is defined to mean a separate agency or unit of local government created or established by law or ordinance and the officers thereof. The term includes, but is not limited to, a county; a municipality; or an authority, board, commission, department, institution of higher education, public corporation, school district, taxing district, water management district, or other public agency or body authorized to expend public funds for construction, maintenance, repair, or improvement of public works. This bill has not been heard to date. SB 598: http://www.flsenate.¢ov/SessionBill/2016/0598BillText/Filed/PDF