Legislative Issues

Posted on by Sarah Harris
Legislative candidates who won their seats in the House and Senate were sworn into office at the Capitol on November 17th. Members also voted to accept the revised rules for the 2020-22 term during the Organizational Session.
Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Spring Hill) announced the committee structure, leadership and membership for 2020-22. Here is a link to his memo and a link to the committee assignments.   He tapped Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) as Senate President Pro Tempore, Senator Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) as the Rules Committee chair and Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) as the Appropriations Committee chair. Senator Debbie Mayfield (R-Mayfield) will serve as the Republican Leader.    Senator Gary Farmer (D-Fort Lauderdale) was unanimously elected Senate Democratic Leader by the Senate Democratic Caucus. He selected Senator Bobby Powell (D-West Palm Beach) to serve as Pro Tempore for the 2020-2022 legislative term.   While there are not any official announcements about how business will be conducted during the upcoming legislative session, President Simpson plans to have only three committees meet at one time to accommodate appropriate social distancing.