Lawmakers Prepare to Begin Annual Session
Monday, January 9, 2012
By: Tom Parkinson

Jan.09, 2012 | WMFE - State lawmakers are on their way back to Tallahassee for the start of the annual legislative session tomorrow. The session is beginning early this year to allow adequate time for redrawing the state's legislative and congressional district maps.

The district boundaries are redrawn once every decade to account for population changes reflected in the US Census.
State Senator Bill Montford of North Florida is the Senate’s Democratic Whip.
He says the lawmakers will try to get the district maps finished as soon as possible so they can move on to other issues.

“That’s been the plan all along from Senator Don Gaetz, who’s the chair of our redistricting/reapportionment committee, so I think you’ll see a vote on the floor real soon.” Montford said.

Once the reapportionment process is complete, the lawmakers will move on to a number of other matters. The primary responsibility of the legislature is too pass a state budget nut they’ll also be debating the expansion of casino gambling; changes to Florida’s auto insurance laws and a possible new tax on internet sales.

A number of watchdog groups will be keeping an eye on the proceedings in the Capital this year including the AARP.

The Florida chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons says it plans to start tracking and posting state lawmakers’ votes online this session.
Florida AARP spokesman Jack McRay says publishing the votes of legislators on important issues will help seniors to make decisions in the coming election.

“We think it becomes of paramount importance to identify for voters, both our members and not, those issues in which they might be interested, to be able to pose questions and frankly for them to be able to contact legislators for legislators themselves to explain how they vote.”

McRay says AARP will track “important,” issues, which he says includes bills related to health and long term care, utility costs and regulation, financial security and consumer protections.

The state legislature begins its annual session tomorrow.

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