Rep Clemens' HB757 Lets Corporations Be Rewarded For Giving Back

LAKE WORTH, Fla. -- Just in time for the holidays, Rep. Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth) has filed House Bill 757, establishing a new category of corporations in the state of Florida that will allow those corporations to be rewarded for service to the community, charity, environmental responsibility and civic responsibility.

Florida would become the eighth state to register Benefit Corporations, or B-Corps. The legislation has passed unanimously in Maryland and New Jersey, among others, where Republicans and Democrats sponsored bills to enact the new corporate category. The bill recognizes that government and non-profits alone cannot solve society’s problems, and that business can be a driving force for positive change.

“Investors want to put their money with companies that have a proven record of giving back to the community,” Clemens said. “This is a great way to increase stockholder value for these companies, and see a boost in their stock price.” More...

Posted in: Democracy , News and Politics , Florida Democratic Party  Tags:

Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Comment RSS | E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us

Representative Bernard Supports Measure to Cut Banks' Ties To Terrorists

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Representative Mack Bernard (D-West Palm Beach) announced this week that he has joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in sponsoring legislation to cut financial ties between Florida state-chartered banks and Iranian-financed terrorists.

House Bill 613 and Senate Bill 792, “The Financial Institutions Act,” would impose new rules on state chartered financial institutions to certify that their corresponding banks are not engaged in federally-prohibited activities with Iranian-linked counterparts. The financial restrictions would also apply to any other terrorist organization designated by the United States. Compliance and reporting violations could reap up to a $100,000 civil penalty.

One of the primary intentions of House Bill 613 is to weaken Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities, as well as to inhibit the country’s ability to arm insurgents targeting U.S. combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The proposed Financial Institutions Act is needed to help guarantee America's security and to combat terrorism," said Representative Bernard, the lead sponsor of HB 613. "I'm proud to be among the Democratic and Republican lawmakers in support of this important bill."

Posted in: Information , Democracy , Bankster , Florida Democratic Party , News and Politics  Tags:

Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Comment RSS | E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us

REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA WATSON BLASTS HOUSE BUDGET
FOR FAVORING CORPORATIONS OVER KIDS, FAMILIES

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida House of Representatives is set to begin negotiations this week with the Senate to craft a new state budget that will take effect in July.

The proposed budget that the House approved last week cuts funding for critical education, health care and social service programs. Accordingly, Representative Barbara Watson (D-Miami) voted against the proposal.

"Instead of protecting Florida’s most fragile and vulnerable residents, the proposed budget cuts important programs as an excuse for balancing the budget,” said Representative Barbara Watson, House District 103. “If this budget wins approval, our most dependent populations will be forced to live without a safety net.”

Among state budget cuts in the House proposal are:

· Historically black colleges and universities – 23 percent cut;

· Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs – funding reduced by 50 percent;

· Vocational rehabilitation, including day care services for disabled adults – 15 percent reduction;

· Eliminates hearing aids for 880,000 adults;

· Reduces funding for Take Stock in Children, a mentoring program created to guide at-risk youth to college;

• Eliminates Black Business Investment Loan Fund; and
• Slashes half the current funding for the YMCA State Alliance reading program for elementary school children.

“This week, our kids are required to take and pass the FCAT. The funding for reading programs helps to prepare struggling students,” said Representative Watson. “Funding must be available for these programs in next year’s budget. Otherwise, the children who access these programs to improve their scores, will no longer have the valid resources that push them to the level of achievement, as a result they will not do as well.” 

The House budget also authorizes the Department of Corrections (DOC) to privatize Miami-Dade and Broward County correctional facilities. This requirement seeks a 7-percent reduction in DOC costs, which will result in the elimination of jobs or replacement of current staff with inexperienced personnel.

“Hundreds of South Florida correctional employees and their families will be negatively impacted by this proposal to privatize correctional safety,” said Representative Watson. “Not to mention, this budget cut does not take into consideration the invaluable safety measures added by having a DOC employee living and working in the community. This budget does create jobs; but only jobs for big corporations.”

Representative Watson, a former Miami Gardens council member, represents the cities of Miami Gardens, Opa-Locka, and Miramar, Florida. To learn more about Representative Watson, visit www.myfloridahouse.gov or call her Tallahassee office at 850-488-0766.

Posted in: News and Politics , Democracy , Florida Democratic Party  Tags:

Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Comment RSS | E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us

Florida AFL-CIO · Working Families Lobby Corps

Legislative Alert!

135 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL 32301 · 850-224-6926 · FAX 850-224-2266

· www.flaflcio.org·Florida AFL-CIO’s You-Tube Page·Florida AFL-CIO’s Facebook Page· Florida AFL-CIO’s Twitter Feed or on your mobile phone here

Lines have been drawn

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

Two Union Busting Bills

—SB 830 and SB 1352—

Are both up this week in Senate Committees!

This Wednesday at 1:30pm, the Senate Budget Committee will vote on Senate Bill 830. 

This legislation would deny access to dues deductions from public employees’ paychecks if they choose to be a member of a union. In addition, SB 830 takes away workers’ rights to participate collectively in political activities by outlawing deductions for political funds.  If SB 830 becomes law, it will restrict the political rights of thousands of Florida’s families.

The proposed legislation does nothing to create jobs or solve budgetary problems. Instead, SB 830 directly targets public sector unions. This bill would not apply to the other 364 organizations that the State of Florida offers payroll deductions, which includes giant insurance and investment organizations.

SB 830’s counterpart in the House (HB 1021) has already been passed, and the Senate Budget Committee meeting is one of the final steps of this legislation before it heads to the Senate Floor for a final vote!!!

Call the Senators in the Budget Committee listed below TODAY, tomorrow and Wednesday morning. Tell them to "stop the attacks on working families. It is my choice to join my union and I do not want politicians in Tallahassee taking away my rights."

Budget Committee Members Contact Information

Alexander, JD (Chair) (R) 17 (850) 487-5044

Negron, Joe (Vice Chair) (R) 28 (850) 487-5088

Lynn, Evelyn J. (R) 7 (850) 487-5033

Altman, Thad (R) 24 (850) 487-5053

Benacquisto, Lizbeth (R) 27 (850) 487-5356

Bogdanoff, Ellyn Setnor (R) 25 (850) 487-5100

Richter, Garrett (R) 37 (850) 487-5124

Fasano, Mike (R) 11 (850) 487-5062

Simmons, David (R) 22 (850) 487-5050

Flores, Anitere (R) 38 (850) 487-5130

Gaetz (D), Don (R) 4 (850) 487-5009

Hays, Alan (R) 20 (850) 487-5014

Thrasher, John (R) 8 (850) 487-5030

Wise, Stephen R. (R) 5 (850) 487-5027

The Building Trades are Under Siege by the Florida Legislature

The working men and women of the Building Trades of Florida are engaged in their struggle of their lives in fighting against SB 1352, which would radically change how construction projects in Florida are regulated and built.

SB 1352 sponsored by Senator Hays (R Umatilla) would prohibit the state of Florida or any local government from:

• · Entering into any contract on the conditions of employment (Project Labor Agreements)
• · Respecting local hiring preferences
• · Offering prevailing wages
• · Participating in apprenticeship programs
• · Designating work assignments
• · Recruiting employees from a single source
• · Controlling and limiting staffing on worksites

Limiting union access to local government activities is another form of union busting in which the Legislature is practicing.  SB 1352 is the anti-union construction industry’s dream.

This bill makes it illegal for local governments to require contractors to provide their employees a living wage, health care or other employee benefits such as sick leave.  It also bans requirements for local hiring or participation in registered apprenticeship.

This union busting legislation has already passed the Senate Community Affairs Committee this week with a 7-2 vote and is now being heard in the Senate’s Governmental Oversight and Accountability committee.

Call the members of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee TODAY, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday morning. Tell them to VOTE NO on SB 1352. Tell them “This is nothing more than a Big Government takeover of local government decision making.”

Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Garcia (R), Rene (R) 40 (850) 487-5106

Latvala, Jack (R) 16 (850) 487-5075

Benacquisto, Lizbeth (R) 27 (850) 487-5356

Bogdanoff, Ellyn Setnor (R) 25 (850) 487-5100

Dean, Charles S. ''Charlie'' (R) 3 (850) 487-5017

Norman, Jim (R) 12 (850) 487-5068

Fasano, Mike (R) 11 (850) 487-5062

Wise, Stephen R. (R) 5 (850) 487-5027

Flores, Anitere (R) 38 (850) 487-5130

Posted in: Information , Netroots , News and Politics , Florida Democratic Party  Tags:

Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Comment RSS | E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us

Alex Sink, Democrats, Clear Winner in Florida Debate. Tampa, FL - The first debate was yesterday and the results are in:  Alex Sink is the consensus winner. Across the board Alex Sink comes out on top:
Bloomberg Businessweek: “Sink hammers Republican Scott in Fla. gov. debate,”
The Florida Times-Union: “Aggressive Sink spars with Scott in first debate,”
WKRG: “Sink Comes Out Swinging At Scott In Fla. Debate.”
Pensacola News-Journal: "Sink slams Scott"
Tallahassee Democrat: "Sink hammers Scott in debate"
Alex Sink’s integrity, transparency and proven effectiveness for the people of Florida stood strong against Rick Scott’s record of fraud and deceitful tactics. The debate can be viewed online below, in English.
“Whether it was his time as a CEO or his time as a candidate, Floridian's are learning they couldn't trust Rick Scott then, and they can't trust him now,” said Alex Sink campaign spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff. “Not only is he continuing his dishonest campaign, during the debate, he showed a complete lack of knowledge for the real struggles facing everyday Floridians. Alex Sink knows this state and knows what we’re up against, and she’s got the plan and experience to get us moving back in the right direction.”

Posted in: Florida Democratic Party , Democracy , Santa Rosa Democratic Party , News and Politics , Video Spots  Tags:

Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Comment RSS | E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us

UPDATE: The White House announced Thursday afternoon that President Obama would not sign a bill that some consumer advocates worried would make it more difficult for homeowners to fight fraudulent foreclosures.

The White House noted that the bill was designed to ease restrictions on interstate commerce. "While we share this goal, we believe it is necessary to have further deliberations about the intended and unintended impact of this bill on consumer protections, including those for mortgages, before this bill can be finalized."

* * *

EARLIER:

The White House is taking a careful look at legislation recently passed by Congress with little notice that would require courts to recognize notarizations from out-of-state, which some consumer advocates say would make it more difficult to fight bogus foreclosures by banks.

"There were a series of meeting on that this morning here," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who added the White House would have a more definitive statement later on Thursday. "It is something that, as you said, there has been a lot of news on, the processing of documentation, the resulting impact on foreclosures, and that is being evaluated....In general, there is concern, ultimately, about the situation."

Max Gardner, a foreclosure defense attorney, said the timing of the bill was suspicious, considering fraudulent notarization of bogus foreclosure affidavits is at the heart of a scandal that has prompted the nation's largest banks to pause foreclosures in 23 states.

"The timing is just a little curious to me that all of a sudden you can't get anything through the Senate at all and then all a sudden on a voice vote," Gardner said. "This was first introduced in the House in 2007."

The legislation, titled the "Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act," would "require any Federal or State court to recognize any notarization made by a notary public licensed by a State other than the State where the court is located when such notarization occurs in or affects interstate commerce." The bill would also require courts to recognize electronic notarizations.

Story continues below

Advertisement

"The thing that concerns me about the bill is that the provisions in it that allow for digital notarization by electronic means," said Gardner, "which implies that anyone with the appropriate software could notarize a digital document or image of a document, which would allow someone to notarize a document without seeing someone execute the document or doing the things a notary is supposed to do. In my mind that would lead a broad exception for more fraudulent practices."

Ira Rheingold, director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, told HuffPost he wasn't sure he agreed the bill was so problematic. "Just because you get a lawful notarization of a bunch of lies doesn't change your ability to challenge an affidavit as a bunch of lies."

The legislation passed the Senate without debate on Sept. 27 following a "unanimous consent" request from Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.). Casey's office told HuffPost that the senator made the request on party leadership's behalf. "He had nothing to do with the bill himself," a spokesman said.

Reuters reported that, with the help of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), "Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy pressed to have the bill rushed through the special procedure, after Leahy 'constituents' called him and pressed for passage." Previous versions of the bill have died in the Judiciary Committee after being passed by the House.

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who has blogged about notarization problems, told HuffPost she also considered the timing of the legislation suspicious, coming in the midst of a series of announcements by banks that foreclosure procedures are under review. "It's almost like H.R. 3808 was a trap door."

The bill's sponsor in the House, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), was surprised by the speedy passage of the bill and the intensely negative reaction it's gotten. "There is absolutely no connection whatsoever between Congressman Aderholt's legislation and the recent foreclosure documentation problem," said a spokesman in an email to HuffPost. "Congressman Aderholt has been pushing this bill since April of 2005 when he first introduced it in Congress. Obviously, there was no controversy regarding foreclosure documents at that time.

"The Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act will improve interstate commerce by requiring that lawfully notarized documents be recognized across state lines. The law, once enacted, will strengthen consumer protections by requiring identification of notaries by means of seal and in rendering electronic documents tamper resistant."

Posted in: Whitehouse , News and Politics , Democracy  Tags:

Actions: E-mail | Permalink | Comments (0) | Comment RSS | E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us