The holidays are over. The decorations and ornaments have been packed and put away until next year. It’s now time to get busy and work on legislation to benefit you, my constituents, and the citizens of the great state of Florida!

We started Interim Committee Week #4 yesterday and we are now getting a picture of what will transpire during the Legislative Session, which begins on March 7, 2023 in Tallahassee. Members have been assigned to specific committees and are working on bills that they wish to file.

As Chair of the Commerce Committee, I will be overseeing three subcommittees, including Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity; Insurance & Banking; and Regulatory Reform & Economic Development. In addition, I’m a member of the Appropriations Committee. I’m very excited about these two positions as I believe my limited government and limited spending platforms will contribute significantly to keep Florida free from government overreach and wasteful spending of taxpayers dollars.

Education is a top priority for Governor DeSantis and the Florida House. Last week, Speaker of the House, Paul Renner, filed HB1, which will ensure that Florida has the friendliest school choice available. Specifically, HB1 will completely reshape Florida’s education choice landscape and provide families with greater flexibility in determining how to educate their children. Read below for further information on HB1.

This week, Governor DeSantis announced an unprecedented legislative proposal to create a Teacher’s Bill of Rights to include paycheck protection, teacher empowerment and raising teachers’ pay. Read below for further information.

Representative Bob Rommel
District 81

HB 1 – Universal School Choice

Education is a top priority for Florida’s Governor DeSantis and House Speaker Paul Renner.

Teachers’ Bill of Rights

On Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced an unprecedented legislative proposal to create a Teacher’s Bill of Rights that empowers educators to be leaders in their classrooms, enact paycheck protection, reduce terms for school board members from twelve to eight years, and invest another $1 billion in teacher pay.

“This is a huge package to increase teacher pay, support teacher empowerment and protect teachers’ paychecks by ensuring they have control over their hard-earned salary,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We want more transparency into how school unions operate, and we are going to fight against school union haggling that holds teachers and their salary increases hostage. Partisan groups should not be given special privileges.”

“From day one, Governor Ron DeSantis has made it his mission to raise teacher pay and elevate educators in the classroom — and he has succeeded,” said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “Today’s announcement goes another step further to provide historic funding for teachers’ salaries and ensure they have control over their classrooms and paychecks.”

Paycheck Protection

The Governor’s proposal will create more accountability and transparency for public sector unions, including K-12 teacher unions and higher education unions. This proposal will require school unions to represent at least 60% of employees eligible for representation, an increase over the current 50% threshold, and allow state investigations into unions suspected of fraud, waste and abuse. Additionally, the proposal will require annual audits and financial disclosures for unions.

To further ensure that school boards are acting in the best interests of Florida’s teachers and students, this proposal reduces term limits for school board members from 12 years to 8 years and seeks to make school board elections a partisan election. A joint resolution for the 2023 Legislative Session has already been filed by Senator Gruters and Representative Roach to begin this process.

Other paycheck protections that would be enacted under this proposal include:

Prohibit any union representing public employees from having its dues and assessments deducted by the public employee’s employer.
Require employees to submit a form acknowledging that Florida is a right to work state and union participation is optional.
Require school unions to annually notify members of the cost of membership.
Prohibit the distribution of union materials at the workplace.
Union officials cannot be paid more than the highest paid union member.
Prohibit union work while on the clock for their taxpayer funded job.
Prohibit school board members and superintendents from accepting a personal or work-related benefit such as a secret “office account” from a school union.
Teacher Empowerment

Since the Governor took office, education has been at the forefront of policy making decisions. Florida law currently contains comprehensive legislation related to students’ rights and parents’ rights in education but does not have a clear compilation of teachers’ rights and authorities. This proposal will establish teacher empowerment provisions in law and will include these main provisions:

Establish a new process for individuals to notify the state of a violation of teachers’ rights and ensure that the Department of Education can investigate those claims.
Empower teachers to maintain safe classroom environments by creating a “stand your ground” classroom safety policy to protect teachers who are often judged unfairly for maintaining order and safety in their classrooms.
Clarify that teachers have the choice to join their local teachers union and will not face any repercussions if they opt not to join.
Providing civil remedies for teachers who are asked to violate Florida law and punished by their employers for standing up for what is right.
Raising Teacher Pay

Since 2020, the Governor has secured more than $2 billion in funding for teacher pay, the largest pay increase for teachers in Florida history. This funding has allowed Florida to achieve an average starting teacher salary of $48,000 for the 2022-2023 school year, meeting and exceeding Florida’s goal of an average starting teacher salary of $47,500. The Governor is proposing an additional $200 million to continue raising teacher pay, bringing the total to $1 billion for teacher pay in his recommended budget for the next year.

This $200 million increase over the current year’s budget will be provided to school districts with maximum flexibility to best fit the school district’s needs. School districts will be able to apply the funding to continue raising starting teacher salaries or to provide salary increases for veteran teachers and other eligible instructional personnel.

No eligible full-time classroom teacher will receive a base salary less than the minimum base salary established during the 2022-2023 school year.

Florida has no income tax and a balanced budget.
Let’s keep it that way!

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Governor Ron DeSantis Vows to Make Protections from COVID Mandates Permanent
Legislation will Enact New Protections for Free Speech for Medical Practitioners

On Tuesday, January 17, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a common-sense legislative proposal to make permanent COVID-19 freedoms in Florida. This strong pro-freedom, anti-mandate action will permanently protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, protects parents’ rights, and institutes additional protections that prevent discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccine status.

The proposal includes the permanent prohibition of mandates that are continuously proven ineffective, including:

Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine passports in Florida;
Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements in all Florida schools;
Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 masking requirements at businesses; and
Permanently prohibiting employers from hiring or firing based on mRNA jabs.
Included in Governor DeSantis’ proposal are first amendment rights guarantees for medical professionals, ensuring no one loses their job or medical license for voicing their professional opinions in Florida. The legislation will safeguard medical professionals from discrimination based on their personal religious views.

Governor DeSantis remains committed to ensuring COVID freedoms are upheld in Florida and will fight against local governments, businesses, and corporations that attempt to impose authoritarian policies surrounding COVID.

To read the full proposal, click here.

Governor Ron DeSantis Further Prohibits Woke ESG Considerations from State Investments

At the Florida Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis and Trustees of the State Board of Administration (SBA) formally approved measures to protect Florida’s investments from woke environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), ensuring that all investment decisions focus solely on maximizing the highest rate of return. This build on actions taken last year to clearly define the factors fiduciaries are to consider in investment decisions.

“Corporations across America continue to inject an ideological agenda through our economy rather than through the ballot box. Today’s actions reinforce that ESG considerations will not be tolerated here in Florida, and I look forward to extending these protections during this legislative session.”

– Governor Ron DeSantis, January 17, 2023

In addition, Governor DeSantis proposed legislation during the upcoming legislative session to codify the actions taken and rein in the use of discriminatory ESG practices throughout the financial sector by:

Prohibiting big banks, credit card companies and money transmitters from discriminating against consumers for their religious, political, or social beliefs.
Barring financial institutions from considering so called “ESG Credit Scores” in banking and lending practices to prevent Floridians from obtaining financial services like loans, lines of credit, and bank accounts.
Permanently prohibiting SBA fund managers from considering ESG factors when investing the state’s money.
Requiring SBA fund managers to only consider maximizing the return on investment on behalf of Florida’s retirees.
Read more here.

Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet Invest Over $17.7 Million to Conserve 3,500 Acres in Florida

On Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved the investment of more than $17.7 million to conserve more than 3,500 acres across the state. The five properties stretch from Nassau County south to Charlotte County and protect or buffer lands within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a recently designated network of connected lands that is crucial for wildlife habitat. They also complete two Florida Forever projects.

“We will continue to prioritize protecting and restoring Florida’s natural resources for current and future generations.”

–Governor Ron DeSantis, January 18, 2023

Read the complete list of land investments here

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Award of $100 Million for Beach Recovery Following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole

Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the award of $100 million to support beach nourishment projects within 16 coastal counties impacted by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole. This award is in addition to the $20 million awarded in November to help several local governments immediately address erosion concerns while other assessments were ongoing to help inform long-term opportunities for assistance.

“I am pleased to announce another step to expedite recovery of our communities impacted by these historic storm events. This funding will support beach restoration needs, allowing us to rebuild and further enhance resilience.”

–Governor Ron DeSantis, January 18, 2023

The list of awards can be found here

RPOF’s Ben Gibson Named Managing Partner

Ben Gibson, Chief Legal Counsel to the Republican Party of Florida, has been named Managing Partner of the Tallahassee office of the Shutts & Bowen law firm. Gibson’s statewide practice focuses on representing corporate, political, and government clients in appellate, litigation and administrative matters as well as government affairs. He most recently served as general counsel to Governor Ron DeSantis’ successful re-election campaign for Governor and as general counsel to Governor DeSantis’ Transition Team. Gibson has also represented numerous state agencies, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Congratulations Ben!

Read more here.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

“Florida has led the way in protecting its people from medical authoritarianism and these initiatives will make these protections a permanent feature in our laws”
“In Florida, we support medical professionals and their right to free speech and we reject policies that seek to manufacture “consensus” through coercion.”
“I announced an initiative to make protections against coercive biomedical policies permanent”
“When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin.”
@GovRonDeSantisFL and @FLSurgeonGen have consistently given Florida’s parents the power to decide what is best for their family.
Ron DeSantis is THE Everglades Governor
DeSantis responds to Q about Biden’s classified docs
REMEMBER: Like @FloridaGOP and retweet and share. The Republican message must be spread around the state, and you are integral to making that happen.

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NEWS ALERT!

Sen. Rick Scott Warns Floridians About IRS Overreach, New $600 Transaction Reporting Requirement

Senate Democrats Block Sen. Rick Scott’s Amendment to Stop IRS Spying, Expansion

Senator Rick Scott secured a full vote of the United States Senate on his amendment to the week-long continuing resolution to stop the IRS from adding 87,000 new agents to audit families and small businesses. Senator Scott’s amendment would also repeal a provision that allows the IRS to spy on every financial transaction of more than $600 made with Americans’ bank accounts through vendors like CashApp, Venmo and PayPal. Although a bipartisan group, including all Senate Republicans, supported the amendment, Senate Democrats ultimately blocked its approval.

Watch Senator Scott’s speech in support of his amendment HERE or below.

Sen. Rick Scott on Senate Floor: Americans Have Had Enough of Washington’s Dysfunctional Spending

Senator Rick Scott spoke on the Senate floor in support of Senator Ron Johnson’s request to unanimously pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the government funded through February 4th, 2023, after Republicans have taken the majority in the House of Representatives. This is the latest action taken over the past several months to support the passage of a CR until after the start of the 118th Congress.

Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee wrote an op-ed for Fox News demanding the passage of a clean CR that extends government funding until after the new Congress begins in 2023. Last month, Senator Scott joined Senators Lee, Ted Cruz and Mike Braun in writing a letter to leadership expressing the need to pass a short-term CR that funds the federal government only until shortly after the 118th Congress is sworn in. Additionally, in September, Senator Scott, along with Senators Cruz and Lee, demanded the passage of a clean CR that simply maintains current federal functions and programs until a new Congress begins in 2023.

Watch Senator Scott’s speech HERE or below.

Sen. Rick Scott Pens Open Letter to Job Seekers: Don’t Work for Biden’s IRS Army

Senator Rick Scott released the below open letter to America’s job seekers outlining several factors they should consider before applying for a job with Biden’s soon-to-be supersized Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This month, Congressional Democrats passed a massive, partisan and reckless tax-and-spend bill which gives the IRS an additional $80 billion in taxpayer dollars and the authority to hire 87,000 new – mostly armed – IRS agents. Senator Scott first released this open letter to job seekers on his new LinkedIn account.

Read the full letter HERE.

How Will This Impact You?

Previously, the IRS required companies like Cash App, Venmo, PayPal to issue Form 1099-K to individuals to report certain payment transactions that had:

Payments that exceeded $20,000, AND
More than 200 transactions within the current year
To comply with a new law passed by Democrats in Congress and signed by President Biden, Floridians must now receive the Form1099-K for payments of all goods and services in excess of $600.

In short, this new law 1) brings down the transaction payment threshold from $20,000 to $600 and 2) removes the minimum threshold of 200 transaction per year.

Questions and Answers

How will this work?

You will receive a Form 1099-K from a Venmo or PayPal (third party network) for income received through electronic forms of payments by Jan. 31 of the following year.

In the near future, your third-party provider may request additional information from you to properly report your transactions on the Form 1099-K. You may be asked to provide your Employer Identification Number (EIN), Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) or Social Security Number (SSN) if this information is not on file.

Your Form 1099-K will report the total gross income in Box 1a received during the year without considering any adjustments, discounts, or refunds.

Your Form 1099-K will include payments from credit cards and online payments. You are required to report any income listed on your Form 1099-K from your business on your income tax return.

Does Venmo, Cash-App and Other Third-Party Network Users Have to Pay a New Tax?

No.

While this new law requires new tax reporting requirements, it does not change the existing tax law, meaning taxable or nontaxable for tax reporting.

Form 1099-K is an informational tax form and may include amounts considered excluded from gross income for tax purposes.

If you receive money considered a nontaxable source, you will not need to report on your tax return.

Some examples of money received that may be excluded from your income are:

Money received from a friend as a reimbursement
Money received from a roommate to pay their share of the rent
Money received from a loved one as a gift
Also, if you receive money from selling a personal item at a loss, you are not required to report the amount on your tax return. For example, if you purchased a dress for $100 and sold it for $50, the amount is not taxable.

But while it does not create a new tax, you must keep good records of any taxable income received.

How to Keep Good Records for Cash App Reporting

Since your Form 1099-K may include both taxable and nontaxable income, keeping good records is essential.

While you may choose any recordkeeping system for your business, you want to select a system that reflects your income and expenses. Your system should include:

Accounting and payroll records.
Bank statements.
Receipts.
Tax forms and returns.
Other business financial records.
You can consider saving your records either in electronic form or manually.

If you are a business owner, it is a good idea to set up separate third-party payment accounts for your business and personal transactions. This way, you can easily track business transactions.

Also, setting up a separate business platform and keeping good records can be beneficial to prove both taxable and nontaxable income sources if the IRS audits your tax return.

Governor DeSantis Signs Legislation Providing Hurricane Relief and Stabilizing Florida’s Property Insurance Market

On Friday, Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill (SB) 4-A which provides $750 million for additional disaster relief to Floridians following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. The Governor also signed SB 2-A, the most significant property insurance reform bill in recent history which helps to stabilize our property insurance market, increase competition and strengthen consumer protections.

SB 4-A, Disaster Relief, provides property tax relief for homes rendered uninhabitable due to the storm. Additionally, the bill provides $750 million for the communities impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.
SB 2-A, Property Insurance, is the most significant property insurance reform bill in recent history, strengthening Florida’s property insurance market.
These bills built upon previous actions taken by the Governor on property insurance including signing House Bill 7065 in 2019 to curtail Assignment of Benefit abuse and SB 76 in 2021 which restructured litigation rules for insurance claims to reduce the burden of excessive litigation.

More information of the provisions of each bill and actions taken during the recent special session can be found here.

Governor Desantis Cuts Tolls in Half

On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that will cut tolls in half for an estimated 1.2 million Florida commuters.

The program will give Floridians with 35 or more toll transactions per month a 50% credit to their account. The Toll Relief Program begins on January 1, 2023, and runs through December 31, 2023.

Governor DeSantis Launches Covid Vaccine Investigations

Governor DeSantis held a roundtable discussion Tuesday with Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and world-renowned physicians, researchers and public health experts to discuss adverse events of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

At the end of the roundtable, Governor DeSantis announced three aggressive actions to hold the federal government and Big Pharma accountable:

Establishing the Public Health Integrity Committee overseen by the Florida Surgeon General to assess federal public health recommendations to ensure that the state’s public health policies fit Florida’s communities and priorities.
Filing a petition with the Florida Supreme Court for a Statewide Grand Jury to investigate crimes and wrongdoing committed against Floridians related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Creating a monitoring system for autopsies of individuals that received the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida and died within 20 days.
The Biden Administration and pharmaceutical corporations continue to push widespread distribution of mRNA vaccines on the public, including children as young as six months old, through relentless propaganda while ignoring real-life adverse events.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2022/12/13/governor-ron-desantis-petitions-florida-supreme-court-for-statewide-grand-jury-on-covid-19-vaccines-and-announces-creation-of-the-public-health-integrity-committee/

Florida Ranked #1 in Nation for Parent Involvement in Education

Governor DeSantis announced this week that Florida is the number one state in the country for parent empowerment, according to the Center for Education Reform’s Parent Power! Index. The annual Parent Power! Index measures policies that put students first, value the unique needs of every family, and empower parents to oversee their child’s education.

“Parental involvement is important to a child’s success both in school and in life, and in Florida we are proud to protect parents’ right to be involved in a child’s education,” Governor DeSantis said.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2022/12/12/florida-ranked-1-in-nation-for-parent-involvement-in-education/

AG Moody Calls on Apple and Google to Change TikTok Age Rating

Attorney General Moody called on Apple and Google Wednesday to take immediate action and correct the app store age ratings of TikTok by the end of the year. Attorney General Moody and 14 other state attorneys general said that the change will help parents protect their children from being exposed to harmful content online.

“While our investigation into TikTok continues, it is important that action is taken now to better protect children from harmful content they might encounter on this China-owned social media platform,” Attorney General Moody said. “If TikTok isn’t banned outright, app stores should at the very least increase the age rating on the TikTok app to ensure parents know that this social media platform is not appropriate for users under the age of 17.”

Read more: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/F9481632488D14028525891800701C6D

First Lady Casey DeSantis Announces Over $60 Million in Donations for the Florida Disaster Fund

First Lady Casey DeSantis announced Wednesday that the Florida Disaster Fund has raised more than $60 million in donations to help communities recover from Hurricane Ian.

“It has been heartwarming to witness individuals and organizations come together from all over the country to generously help Floridians rebuild and recover,” First Lady Casey DeSantis said.

The Florida Disaster Fund is the state’s private fund overseen by Volunteer Florida. Last week, Governor DeSantis announced about $35 million in donations to the fund will be used to help in critical home repairs, transportation, food assistance, housing aid, clothing and household goods for those impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Read more: https://www.flgov.com/2022/12/14/first-lady-casey-desantis-announces-over-60-million-in-donations-for-the-florida-disaster-fund/’

SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Florida will hold the medical establishment accountable by:
• Creating a grand jury to investigate mRNA shots & Big Pharma
• Investigating cardiac-related deaths tied to the mRNA vaccine
• Forming a Public Health Integrity Committee to oversee the medical establishment

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 13, 2022

While our investigation into TikTok continues, action must be taken to protect children from harmful content they might encounter on this China-owned platform. If TikTok isn’t banned outright, stores should at least increase the age rating on the app. https://t.co/w3gXFpqh43 pic.twitter.com/TKCgFzYqQ3

— AG Ashley Moody (@AGAshleyMoody) December 14, 2022

This Special Session will put policyholders first. Insurance is supposed to help people get back on their feet after disasters; not shakedown policyholders. Unscrupulous attorneys and other corrupt parties need to go somewhere else. In Florida, we’re done with it.#Time4TortReform

— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) December 12, 2022

The public deserves to know the truth about the mRNA vaccines, which is why @GovRonDeSantis is holding Biden, Fauci, and the medical establishment accountable. https://t.co/ME7r6VKuTu

— Jeanette Nuñez (@LtGovNunez) December 14, 2022

"In Florida, it is illegal to mislead and misrepresent, especially when you are talking about the efficacy of a drug." —@GovRonDeSantis https://t.co/hEowo2qzi6

— Florida GOP (@FloridaGOP) December 13, 2022

REMEMBER: Like @FloridaGOP and retweet and share. The Republican message must be spread around the state, and you are integral to making that happen.

PAID FOR BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE. WWW.FLORIDA.GOP