May/June 2013

Visit our Web site at www.LWVVC.org

THE

LWVVC May Meeting

May 18, 2013

Jason Davis Volusia County Council Chair

Speaks on the

Vision for Volusia County

May 18, 2013

$15 Lunch

Choice of Salmon or Grilled Chicken with Asparagus Salad

Holiday Inn LPGA

137 Auto Mall Circle, Daytona Beach

RSVP Jeanne Tanke by May 14, 2013 Jeanne622LWVVC@cfl.rr.com

(please give entrée choice) Cancellations after Mary 14 will be invoiced

Check in @10:45, Program @ 11:00 a.m., Lunch @ 11:45 p.m.

April 6, 2013 LWVVC Annual Meeting group photo

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What’s In this VOTER Issue?

Information about our May speaker—page 3

Note from our LWVVC President, Pat Gadbaw—page 4

2013 LWVF Legislative Seminar Report—pages 5-8

2013 LWVF Biennial Convention Reports—pages 8-11

Florida Medicaid Summary—pages 12-14

Natural Resources Report—pages 15-16

2013 Volusia County Social Studies Fair LWVVC Winners—page 16

Richard Goss, Rebecca Hammock, Blake Drury—speakers at March Meeting:

Making Connections: The Future of Public Transportation in Central Florida.

Note Carolyn West in the background—chair of Transportation Committee.

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Speaker in the May General Meeting: Jason Davis Community Service ● Veterans of Foreign Wars

Chair, House Committee

Senior Vice Commander

Affiliations ● Veterans of Foreign Wars ● American Legion ● Bikers for First Amendment Rights Education Mr. Davis received an Associate degree in music education from Daytona State College and an Associate degree in law enforcement from the University of Kentucky. He also completed the following courses and training with the U.S. Army: ● Nuclear Biological, Chemical Warfare Course ● Jungle Operations Course ● Primary Leadership Development Course ● Combat Lifesavers Course

● Military Police Academy (51 weeks) ● U.S. Army Infantry School (14 weeks) ● U.S. Army Pre-commissioned Officers Course (920 hours) ● Hand-to-Hand Combat Instruction Course

Employment Mr. Davis is Volusia County Council Chair. He joined the U.S. Army, Military Police Corps, in 1980 and transferred to the infantry in 1986. Personal Mr. Davis lives in Edgewater, FL

LWVVC Annual Meeting: Dennis Clayton giving the Budget Proposal; Pat Drago present-ing position changes and Pat Gadbaw with Maritza Patterson, introducing an Education Committee study.

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Note from President Pat Gadbaw Dear LWVVC Members,

I am not saying “good-bye,” I am just moving out of the limelight. League advocacy is in my

blood and it has been a great two years because of you. I’ve worked in administration and

on other boards but none as dedicated as the current LWVVC Board and membership.

Thank you. I look forward though to a little more time for gardening and learning the

names of the plants (others call them weeds), which spontaneously appear in my miniature backyard prairie.

Hopefully this next year we will have time for new membership get-togethers like the one put on by Carla

Christianson last year. Carla Christianson has also taught us a lot about environmental advocacy and will be

sorely missed on the LWVVC Board. Donna Jordan has kept the fun in the League with her fundraisers and she

has plans for more. Even though we did not take a prize for our informative website at the Convention in

March like I thought we should, I think Betty’s web information and design is awesome. In addition she

stepped into a vacancy as Secretary. Dennis Clayton wants to work with Betty on the website and to keep up

with our financial situation as well. He has also gotten the attention of the State and they are planning webi-

nars in the next fiscal year to help all treasurers in the state, many of whom, including LWVVC, lost their Fed-

eral non- profit status last year. Chris Moseley is working tirelessly to get our status back and in the process

helping other local leagues that are not as far along as she. Claudia Roth knows more about PPACA than most

people in the state. She tried very hard to get rational programs accepted for the state of Florida but was up

against a very obstinate House. She will make an outstanding President. Carolyn West increased our under-

standing of the complications of public transportation. Hopefully we will pull together our transportation con-

sensus questions in the fall and present a position at our next annual meeting. Paula Buck has worked tireless-

ly with Stetson and now Bethune-Cookman in an effort to increase our presence and membership with young

adults. We’re hoping to get a League University workshop in Volusia within the next two years. Jeanne Tanke

has organized and stabilized our open and full membership meetings each month. We set a goal to increase

our attendance to 40 or more attendees. We won’t have the final count until after our May 18th meeting, but

I predict we made the goal. Of course we are kept informed of our achievements with the outstanding Voter

we publish at least six times a year. Sandy Horikami makes Voter Editor look like a breeze, but take it from

me, a former Voter Editor, it is not easy to get reports timely and design a professional publication. Nancy

Robinson helped out in a number of positions, but she settled on new membership and the letters were timely

and good. We increased our membership by 10% last year and an additional 23% this year. Great job Nancy!

Much of this increase in membership is due in no small part to the work of our outstanding Speaker’s Bureau

and Voter Service Chair Ann Smith. She’s a wonder! Noreen Brownson has also helped with improving our

publicity and making sure we meet the deadlines for all the publications. Pat Drago’s depths of knowledge of

Volusia Politics and League history are invaluable and have greatly enhanced my presidency. Lynn Lempel and

Maritza Patterson have kept us up with our phone in the sky. It is quite wonderful to have these two working

the phone because they are so knowledgeable about the League and they answer most questions accurately

without needing further input. Because of the great work of the nominating committee Ann Harrell, Maritza

Patterson, Marsha Lewis, Donna Jordan and Nancy Robinson, Claudia is going to have a Board every bit as out-

standing as mine has been. Your LWVVC is an outstanding force in Volusia County.

In League, Pat Gadbaw

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LWV of Florida Legislative Seminar

April 10-11, Tallahassee, FL

The Legislative Session was exhausting but fruitful. Gwen Azama-Edwards and I served as your delegates. Our

representatives listened to our points and the final bills are reasonably close to the League positions. As the

LWVF delegates lobbying for our focus bills, we got the attention of the Legislators, but our success this year

should be credited to the diligence of Marilyn Wills of the Tallahassee LWV and the gentle persuasion of our

lobbyist Ben Wilcox.

Ethics The League wants the ethics committee to have Subpoena power, to be able to levy fines, to provide 24

hour disclosure of personal income and investments, to eliminate independent committees such as Commit-

tees of Continuing Existence (CCEs) and to assure that all contributions to candidates be in the sunshine. Most

of what the League wanted was included in the bills. However, at this writing, they are still including in the re-

form that Legislators can retain $$s left over from their successful campaign to launch their next campaign,

providing them with an enormous advantage. Also, at this writing they are still allowing those called before

the ethics committee to correct their record without penalty.

Patient Protection Affordable Healthcare We asked that Florida take the money the Federal Government is

providing for Medicaid coverage to aid the 1 million uncovered Floridians who are impoverished. Senator Ne-

gron believes that the federal government will accept and fund his plan to use Healthy Start rather than Medi-

caid to oversee the program. The House bill is unacceptable at this writing.

Voter Registration was another win for the League positions. Much of the negative issues from the 2011 in-

famous 1355 bill have been removed. At this writing only expedited voting process for the elderly and disabled

and mandated early voting on the Sunday before Election Day have not been included. The requirement of a

written request for absentee ballots to be sent to an address other than the voter’s home address (a new

wrinkle) has been added. We should have a vastly different voting process in the next elections. The House bill

is unacceptable at this writing.

Public schools The League lobbied that public schools should be free and financed by the State, and that all

schools receiving tax money should have the same testing requirements

We also lobbied for

Taxes: Collect on Internet sales, review all exemptions and levy a sales tax on any corporation earning $$s in

state even if report income in another state.

Environment: defeat SB 1684 HB 3999 that eliminated protection of our water maintaining that profit at the

expense of natural resources is good for business.

Judicial: With HB 7033 the legislators are trying again to politicize this 3rd wing of the democratic process in

Florida.

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Interviews

Dave Santiago was willing to listen to anything. He expressed favor in collecting

on internet sales, but was not surprisingly confused about the effect of Space X

on our environment.

Dave Hood expressed that he was focusing on clear outcome rules to eliminate

the arguments for or against public vs. private in anything. He stated that the

greatest number deaths by guns occur in states with the most regulation.

Therefore there is no need to regulate guns. However, I looked this up on the web and it just isn’t true. In fact

it is the reverse. He also stated that recidivism should be a major component of whether a prison is successful.

Dorothy Hukill listened attentively though admitting that she had received copies of

our talking points from other League members of her constituency. She seemed

more subdued and gracious in her new role as Senator and maybe a bit more ap-

proachable. We emphasized the need to receive the Federal $$s for the impover-

ished uninsured citizens of our state. We praised her for her work in allowing citi-

zens to speak in Council and Commission meetings and her support for the ethics

bill.

We also spoke with Dwayne Taylor outside the House Hall and with one of John

Thrasher’s Legislative assistants in his offices.

Our Speakers were:

Walter McNeil, Chief of Police, Quincy.

He stated that the International Association of Chiefs of Police supports a Universal background checks for all

guns, including Internet purchases and the 1994 ban on assault weapons and mental health checks on all pur-

chasers. According to McNeil, in the state of Florida there have been 42,000 names submitted with mental

health issues, but there is no follow up or check. He stated that there are more police killed by guns than auto

accidents.

Marion Hammer, Unified Sportsmen Hall of Fame and National Rifle Association.

Her speech was predictably the talking points for the NRA. She had a few pretty stunning quotes such as

“people do not need a license to own a car so long as they keep it on their property,” therefore there should

be no need to license guns. The stock of the rifle defines it as an assault weapon not the number of rounds. If

it is metal it is assault and wooden it is not. Finally it is not the NRA that is shielding the mentally ill from not

allowing them to possess guns but rather it is the mental health profession.

Gwen Azama-Edwards. Rep. Santiago and Pat Gadbaw

Pat Gadbaw, Senator Hukill and Gwen Azama-Edwards

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Commissioner Tony Bennett, Ph.D., Florida Department of Education

He stated that we need to act with fierce urgency” to regain local control of schools; to set expectations, to

hold people accountable, and then to let the local school district decide how to accomplish their goals. He also

emphasized the schools should be outcome driven; should be flexible, and should use International bench

marks such as 90% proficient @ grade level; 60% have at least one course advanced placement under their

belt and 90% graduate high school.

Mark Pafford, West Palm Beach District 86, Democrat House

He was very concerned that ethics reform was not going to accomplish its mission and that Senator Negron’s

leap of faith that the Federal Government would allow Florida an exception to use HealthyStart and still get

the Medicaid dollars from them was just that, a leap of faith.

He was concerned that there has been a 9” sea level rise in Key West in the last 10 years and all of South Flori-

da is feeling the effects and having to move wells inland. There is a need for $300 million dollars for water pro-

jects but less than $10 million will be funded in this budget. He added that the $74 billion budget decisions

are made behind closed doors and given to the Legislature after the fact, questioning the Legislators claim that

the budget is their most important task.

Mike Crews, Florida Department of Corrections

He opened with a statement that in Florida there are 100,000 in prison now, 180,000 on parole and 23,000

staff. The prisons feed 3 meals a day for a total of $1.54 per inmate. (Does that sound nutritional?). He was

advocating privatization. Health Services are privatized in nine institutions already and the Department of Cor-

rections is currently in court trying to expand the private prisons initiative to the Panhandle. He claimed that

privatization has to show a 7% savings to be selected.

Most inmates have not completed high school and/ or are addicted to drugs. Therefore we need to provide

classes to the inmates so they can attain their GED and eliminate their substance abuse.

Representative Larry Metz (Yalaha) Republican Lake County. Chairman of the Justice Committee House

A major problem with privatization is the Contract and Negotiating Act (CCA) itself. When making decisions to

purchase professional services under the CCA the bidders need only list their credentials, but they should be

required to also list what they will provide and charge. According to Metz, the CCA works only for those com-

panies already getting government contracts. We should of course get the qualification first and then all who

qualify should have to submit charges and what charges are for in order to select the best qualified. That is not

happening under the CCA now. At this point only the large organizations can meet the qualifications and the

smaller ones can’t meet the quota and state what would be provided for their cost.

Senator Jack Latvala, Republican Senator Chair of Ethics

He stated that under the ethics bill the committee should collect a fine if the legislator doesn’t file, and be

able to institute investigations of ethics violations. The legislator should not be able to hold two jobs. The

committee should eliminate revolving door access by making the retired legislator wait two years before

he/she can be a lobbyist.

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He stated that according to the New England Journal of Medicine, if Florida takes the Medicaid offer from fed-

eral government, it would add 120,000 new jobs and save 5,000 lives per year in Florida.

Senator Geraldine Thompson, Democrat, Senator, Dist 12

SB 774 discriminates on basis of sex. It lists male and female but should include pregnant women as having

equal access in the workplace.

Human trafficking is a major problem in Florida. It is our modern day slavery. We need funds set aside for

housing those who are rescued. (This became a major area of discussion in the LWV Convention that followed

the Legislative Session.)

Ken Detzner, Keynote Speaker Secretary of State (in 2nd year, ap-

pointed by Scott) and Maria Mathews, Director of Division of Elec-

tions for State.

8.5 million Floridians voted in 2012. 56,000 votes came in the day

of and day after elections in Dade County alone. The Supervisor of

Elections was not able to cope with the load. He believes that

County Managers should provide more $$s for state of the art

equipment.

He provided a number of major improvement recommendations

following a visit to most of the Supervisors of Elections last year.

You can read his recommendations on the web at

http://elections.dos.state.fl.us. He recommended that certain positions such as Mosquito Control Officer

should be voted on by mail rather than setting up voting booths. He thinks that absentee balloting should start

earlier and last longer and he further thinks that the state should establish an earlier time to count ballots.

Pat Gadbaw

President & Delegate

LWV of Florida 2013 Biennial Convention

April 12-13, Tallahassee, FL

Unscheduled Special Caucus @9 p.m. Thursday:

Scientists became concerned about carbon emission in the 1800s in Sweden. They felt humans were changing

the climate of the entire planet. Other facts presented in this caucus included that 1 mm of sea level rise

spreads 6 inches inland. The US constitutes less than 5% of the world population but produces 25% of the

greenhouse gases; from a book by James Hoogan: Climate Cover Up, from Haggan Littleton. The scientists

state that if we go above 350 parts per million of carbon we are in deep trouble. We are now at 396. At this

point physics takes over. The reefs of Florida are already dead. We need to stop subsidizing fossil fuel. If all the

ice melts in the summer at Greenland, the sea level will rise even faster. We have to get the carbon down be-

low 350 parts.

Secretary of State Ken Detzner, LWVF President Deirdre Macnab and Div. of Elections Director Maria Matthews

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Four books were recommended for reading

John Englander High Tide on Main Street

Michael Tenneson:Idiots Guide to Global Warming

Robert Henson: Rough Guide to Climate Change

Lobby Madison:Citizens Climate

4/12/2013 a.m.

There were two scheduled caucuses. Gwen selected Education and I selected Natural Resources

There were 6 workshops Gwen selected 2, Critical Aging and Engaging Students and YP in the League. I select-

ed 2, Natural Resources and Local League Action. Gwen’s report on Education follows the Convention report.

Natural Resources workshop:

Some of the major issues identified were fresh water intrusion into the Indian River, Oil Spills, the taking of

Conservation lands, water withdrawals for the St. Johns River and deed restrictions, especially from Home

Owners Associations (HOA). It was also noted that the sea level rise in Tampa Bay and South Florida was sup-

posed to start within 50 years but it is already underway. Vero Beach is now desalinating for potable water.

The Appalachicola oyster beds (the most important oyster nursery in the world) are dying in large part be-

cause of Georgia’s decision to take water from Lake Lanier for drinking. Lake Lanier was supposed to stop

flooding and not be used for potable drinking water. Normal high tides are beginning to flood streets in Miami.

There is no political will to stop all this. Below our freshwater aquifer is saltwater left from eons of build-up of

the state of Florida when Florida was a part of the ocean. The weight of the fresh water holds the salt water

down, but that weight is being removed so we are seeing salt intrusion in wells along all our coasts. We don’t

know how high the prehistoric sea is below the fresh water. Consumptive use permits (CUP) drawing 1 million

gallons a day takes 3 square miles of fresh water. The Bluebelt Amendment from 1988 has never been imple-

mented. The Study for this Amendment can be found on the web.

1st Plenary Session (4/12/13 p.m.)

100 members were present.

The first plenary session is primarily to establish what issues we will vote on in Plenary Session II and those, if

any that follows. There were 118 members were present.

Facts from 2012 in Florida: We distributed 1.1 million voter guides and Registered 4,000 new voters. There

were 42,000 provisional ballots, a 20% increase, and 17% of voters were Hispanic. In the future we need more

press on how to fill out absentee ballots. There were 5 million hits to state web. We established four new

leagues. We had four lawsuits; we won two and two are still in litigation; one for the Congressional district and

the other for the State Senate. We increased the overall state LWV membership by 40%. We were certified

for two more years to visit Cuba. We now have three full time positions in our League office in Tallahassee. We

voted to change the leadership conference calls held every month or more from 6 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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2nd Plenary Session (4/13/13)

In a 48 to 34 vote following intense debate we agreed to support the Constitutional Amendment Petition to

Fund Land Acquisition. This means you may now solicit voter signatures but you must follow strict guidelines

established by the coalition. The major debate issue for the delegates was not the sentiment of the amend-

ment but that we have a 70-year history of not supporting dollar issues in the constitution. The major deciding

point was that this proposed amendment sunsets in 20 years.

The delegates authorized letters be sent to Senator Nelson for voting for same sex civil unions and to Gover-

nor Scott for supporting Federal $$s for Medicaid. All Public Policy Positions were reaffirmed. The amended

budget was approved with funds set aside for training for leadership, health insurance for full time workers

and voted no increase in dues.

Directions for the Board included

the need to send money to the University of Florida to complete our archiving project

develop healthcare benefits for paid staff

All our State Policy Positions were re-affirmed

Funds for training for leadership set aside

Establish a webinar group for treasurers

Need more collaboration among local leagues

Should purchase liability insurance for League Boards

Pat Gadbaw President & Delegate

Pat Gadbaw and Gwen Azama-Edwards with former Senator from Colorado Pat Schroeder who has moved to Florida and is a LWVF Board of Director.

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LWVF-School Choice Study Workshop

The Alachua County LWV conducted a study of school choice in Alachua County. They wrote three papers on

understanding school choice in regard to- finances, management and accountability, and social impact. These

can be found on their website. They concluded that school choice programs need better management, evalu-

ation and reporting strategies. As they stated, "There is a need to reduce fiscal mismanagement and ensure

academic quality. Further, the social and financial costs of the expansion of alternative schools are not insig-

nificant." As such, they proposed a statewide study of the issue. The study will be coordinated via email,

phone, etc. over the next year. They have much of the data and fiscal information but need more specific in-

formation on local areas. Statewide, 25% of charter schools fail (usually for financial reasons). It also appears

that many religious schools are becoming charter schools. Virtual schools (of which the state of Florida has the

largest number), along with charter schools, and private schools will be studied--in relation to public schools.

The study will consider issues like: closed/failing charter school rates, curriculum innovation in charter schools

and public schools, use of public school buildings for charter schools, impact of school choice on public school

utilization and finance, legal basis for the Corporate Tax Rebate vouchers and the McKay scholarships for pri-

vate schools, comparable accountability requirements for public and private schools receiving state tax dol-

lars, and teacher certification/credentials, salaries and benefits.

Gwen Azama-Edwards LWVVC Delegate

Thank you for your

generous contributions!!

Natalie Dix

Monique & Kenneth Fischer

Ann Smith

Note: LWVVC is conducting this study chaired by Maritza Patterson.

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Florida Medicaid

By the time you read this, the Florida legislature may or may not have concluded their debate whether or not to expand Medicaid. I thought it might be useful to share descriptions of the government insurance programs.

Background

Medicaid is the joint federal-state government insurance program for persons with insufficient income and resources to pay for health care. Initially created by Title XIX of the Social Security Act, Florida and the federal government have shared financial responsibility for this program since 1970. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)/ Title XXI is a block grant program initiated by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 (Public Law 105-33). CHIP provides health care coverage for low-income children—below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL)—who do not qualify for Medicaid and would otherwise be uninsured. Florida currently provides health care insurance options for an estimated 3.35 million Floridians through vari-ous Medicaid eligibility categories. Over half of the 3.35 million Medicaid enrollees are children and adoles-cents 20 years of age and younger (Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration). Additionally, about 257,000 children are enrolled in Florida KidCare, the state’s health insurance program for children in families eligible for CHIP (The Professional Staff of the Committee on Appropriations, 2013). Four agencies share the responsi-bility for administering Title XIX and XXI programs.

Agencies

Healthy Kids Corp administers the program for healthy children ages 5-18 and determines eligibility for the non-Medicaid programs, Medikids, and Children’s Medical Services. This non-profit collects premiums and manages the customer service call center for Florida KidCare.

AHCA (Agency for Healthcare Administration) is the lead agency for Florida KidCare and administers MediKids (the CHIP program for children ages 1-4 yrs). Additionally, the agency develops and carries out policies related to the Florida Medicaid program, and contracts with a fiscal agent to enroll health care providers and process claims for payment submitted by service providers.

DCF (Dept of Children and Families) determines Medicaid eligibility for low-income children and families, aged persons, persons with disabilities, and persons seeking institutional care. DCF also administers the Behavioral Health Network (mental health and substance abuse services).

Dept of Health administers the Children’s Medical Services Network for children with special health care needs from birth through 18 years or 20 years depending upon eligibility (Florida KidCare).

Cost

Florida’s Medicaid program is expected to cost $21.2 billion, nearly one-third of the state budget for State Fiscal Year

2012-13. Medicaid is currently the largest expenditure in the state budget. States have long struggled to control costs of

the program usually by changing eligibility, scope of services and reimbursement rates.

Managed Care The traditional fee for service payment system contributes to higher health care costs without contributing to better patient care by giving providers financial rewards for procedures and services regardless of outcome. In the 1990s, Florida and other states began to transition away from fee for service and toward the managed care model to control costs and create some accountability. Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) use a variety of business models to form integrated health care delivery systems that focus on preventive care. MCOs use a variety of strategies and financial incentives to encourage providers to practice more efficiently and enrollees to use care efficiently. Some of these include disease management, case management, wellness incentives,

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and patient education and utilization review. Charging patients to see providers outside the network is an ex-ample of a financial incentive to seek care in the plan’s network of providers. Over a million Medicaid recipients are currently enrolled in the eighteen Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) throughout the state. HMOs are health plans that provide services to a defined population of Medi-caid recipients for a prepaid fixed capitation rate. However, some counties do not currently have HMOs. About 250,000 Medicaid recipients are enrolled in nine Provider Services Networks (PSNs). A PSN is a network of doctors and hospitals contracted to provide services to a defined population of Medicaid recipients. PSNs may be paid fee-for-service or through capitation payments for covered services. The network must meet the requirements of multiple Florida Statues (409.908, 409.912, 409.91211, 409.9122, 409.9124, and 409.913, F.S. and in Chapter 641, F.S). Medipass is another managed care option. Medipass is a primary care case management program available statewide. MediPass providers are paid a $2 monthly patient management fee for each enrolled recipient, plus the Medicaid reimbursement rate for covered services provided. In 2011, Florida passed legislation (CS/HB 7107 and CS/HB 7109) that directed the Agency for Healthcare Ad-ministration to create the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program (SMMC). Transitioning most Medicaid recipients to managed care was a key feature of the legislation. (Some groups are exempt from the managed care requirement such as women eligible only for family planning services and/ or breast and cervical cancer services). SMMC has two components: Long term managed care and Managed Medical Assistance. Florida re-cently received a waiver from the federal government to expand Medicaid managed care programs for long-term care recipients (Sanders, 2013). The Managed Medical Assistance component is scheduled for implemen-tation in the fall of 2014. Health plans will be selected via a competitive process. Individual providers must contract with health plans selected by AHCA in order to continue to provide services to Medicaid enrolled re-cipients. All Medicaid recipients must enroll with a managed care plan within thirty days of eligibility, unless exempt from the requirement by statute. If they fail to choose a plan, they are automatically assigned to one that serves their area. Whether or not the Florida legislature decides to accept the federal match dollars to expand Medicaid, cer-tainly, costs of the government health insurance programs will continue to be a budget issue for the next legis-lative session. To learn more about Florida Medicaid, read AHCA’s summary of Medicaid Services for Fiscal Year 2012/2013 at http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/Medicaid/pdffiles/2012-2013_Summary_of_Services_Final_121031.pdf

*********** References

Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. (n.d.). Medicaid Summary of Services Fiscal Year 12/13. Retrieved 2013 йил April from ahca.myflorida.com: http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/Medicaid/pdffiles/2012-2013_Summary_of_Services_Final_121031.pdf

Florida KidCare. (n.d.). Retrieved 2013 йил April from Florida Agency for Health Care Administration: http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/medicaid/medikids/kidcare.shtml

Paul Lowell & Nathaniel Lacktman, E. (February 2012). Florida Medicaid Reform: Transformative Change.

Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). PBS-Healthcare Crisis: Healthcare Timeline. Retrieved 2011 йил 18-May from http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm

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Sanders, J. (2013 йил 5-February). Florida Gets Green Light for Medicaid Managed Care. From Kaiser Health News: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/February/05/Florida-Medicaid-managed-care-approval.aspx

The Professional Staff of the Committee on Appropriations. (2013 йил 25-April ). The Florida Senate Bill and Fiscal Impact Statement. Retrieved 2013 йил 27-April from lobbytools: http://static.lobbytools.com/bills/2013/pdf/AS1816A1386.pdf

Claudia Roth

First Vice President

DON’T FORGET!

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP

FOR 2013-2014 YEAR!!

$50___INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

$75___HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP

$25___STUDENT MEMBERSHIP

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME!

PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR:

NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE#, E-MAIL ADDRESS

SEND TO: LWVVC, PO BOX 9695, DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32120

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Natural Resources Report

This year at the Florida League Convention the “grassroots members” argued for and won the LWVFL en-

dorsement of The Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment.

This gives us the ability to join in and participate in the petition drive to fund Florida's conservation land-buying program. The Florida League has joined a coalition of over 250 environmentally concerned groups that are supporting a proposed state constitution amendment that would provide an estimated $500 million a year towards land acquisition and improvement. http://floridawaterlandlegacy.org/pages/126/the-florida-water-and-land-conservation-amendment/

Until the last few years Florida’s land-buying program was the largest such program in the nation from 1990 through 2008, when it received $300 million a year. But funding for the program has been cut sharply since then. The amendment would permanently fund this program.

The program is a top legislative priority each year for environmental groups, who say the program protects wildlife habitat and water quality and boosts the economy by attracting visitors and new residents to Florida. But they have faced opposition from some skeptical legislators who suggest the state already owns too much land.

Environmentalists also support the call for spending more on conservation easements, which involve paying agricultural landowners not to develop their property and they are wary of proposals to sell state land or trade it for conservation easements.

Gov. Rick Scott has requested $25 million for the Florida Forever program in fiscal year 2013-14 along with $50 million from the sale of state lands not needed for conservation. Whether the state can identify and sell that much land remains a question.

The 2013 legislative session is drawing to a close. We saw many bills designed to undo decades of environ-mental progress. A few will either be enacted or defeated in this next week, beginning April 29. Even if they are defeated they can always come back again next year. So it seems worth a mention. Briefly these are still the hot items for the last week of the session.

SB 584 and HB 901 would require state agencies, cities and counties to sell an equal amount of conservation land before they could buy more land.

HB 33 and SB 466 would allow landowners to trade conservation easements on their property for the acquisi-tion of neighboring state lands.

These bills face opposition from environmental groups.

A late proposal to allow commercial sponsorship and signs along multiuse trails is facing opposition from envi-ronmental groups and some trail lovers. HB 7127 is a Department of Transportation bill that deals with a range of transportation issues. The bill was amended Tuesday April 23, to allow for "commercial sponsorship displays" along multiuse trails. Representatives of environmental groups say they don't like setting policy in-

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volving trails and state lands through bill amendments late in the legislative session. The next step will be in the Senate.

I have enjoyed the last two years as chair of natural resources. I have learned so much. I look forward to working on the petition drive and supporting Suzanne Ronneau in the coming year. I hope you too will let her know how you would like to help. Carla Christianson Natural Resources Chair

2013 Volusia County Social Studies Fair LWVVC Winners!

Votes For Women by Elizabeth Nicks Father Lopez High School Teacher: Mr. McCabe

Brown vs Brown of Education by Kayla Majia with Pat Gadbaw Deltona Middle School; Teacher: Ms. Gulcezyski

The Draining of the Everglades by Noah Belanger with Donna Jordan Sacred Heart Elementary School; Teacher: Ms. Mikos

Women’s Suffrage by Ciera Keelen Coronado Elementary School Teacher: Ms. Gallagher