UPDATE:
Dear All:
After much reconsideration and feedback from our members and Representative D Alan Hayes who authored the amendment, the legislative committee has changed their recommendation on Amendment 1 to:
Vote YES on Amendment 1.
We all thank the committee for their dedication to the process.
Please share with your associates and friends and thank you for your patience in this process. We look forward to even better campaign finance bills in 2011 from our esteemed Legislature.
Hope you had a successful Super Saturday for our ticket. I can assure you that Duval County is fired up!
Cindy
Florida’s PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS UPDATED
Recommendations: Florida Federation of Republican Women’s Legislative Committee
Committee leaders:
Charlotte Flynt cgc2oaks@aol.com and Zuma Banks, Chair: zumab@bellsouth.net
Amendment 1 – Campaign finance
Repeal of the public financing of statewide candidates who agree to spending limits.
Amendment 1 repeals Florida's system of public financing for statewide elections, created in the 1980s and put in the Constitution by the voters in 1998. Candidates for governor and the state Cabinet got $11.1 million in the last statewide cycle in 2006.
The original, reformist idea was to level the playing field against big money. But leaders of the Legislature call it "welfare for politicians." They have made it tougher to get the money in recent years, and now hope the voters will kill it altogether.
Updated Recommendation –Vote YES to repeal public financing and ask your legislator to consider campaign finance reform in other areas in 2011.
Amendment 2 – Taxes
An additional homestead property tax exemption for members of the United States military or military reserves.
Amendment 2 gives an increased homestead tax exemption (meaning, they have to possess one already) to members of the military and reserves deployed outside the United States. The additional tax break would be based on the number of days of the year they were out of the country.
Recommendation – For
Amendment 4 – Property rights
Requires voter approval of all changes to local comprehensive land-use plans.
Amendment 4, so-called Hometown Democracy, would require voter referenda for local growth planning, wresting control from city and county officials. The intent is to stop what proponents feel is runaway development and destruction of open spaces. Opponents, which include local governments and developers, say the amendment is unworkable and would hamstring decision making.
Recommendation – Against
Two amendments – 5 and 6 deal with redistricting, due to take place in 2012 as a result of the 2010 census. The political implications are huge, particularly for incumbents. Most Democrats favor Amendments 5 & 6, which would redraw boundaries to create compact districts and reduce gerrymandering
Amendment 5 – Redistricting
Amends the current practice of drawing legislative district boundaries.
Amendments 5 and 6 also were put on the ballot by citizen petition. Their stated goal is "fair districts" for the Legislature and Congress, saying that districts should not be drawn by the Legislature to "favor or disfavor" one party or incumbent. Opponents say (among other things) that this is impossible to achieve and will automatically throw redistricting into the courts.
Recommendation – Against
Amendment 6 – Redistricting
Amends the current practice of drawing congressional district boundaries.
Amendments 5 and 6 also were put on the ballot by citizen petition. Their stated goal is "fair districts" for the Legislature and Congress, saying that districts should not be drawn by the Legislature to "favor or disfavor" one party or incumbent. Opponents say (among other things) that this is impossible to achieve and will automatically throw redistricting into the courts.
Recommendation – Against
Amendment 8 – Education
Changes the current “maximum” class sizes to school-wide “average” class sizes.
Amendment 8 would roll back public school class-size restrictions to 2002 levels. This is cost-driven. Local school districts, saddled with shrinking budgets, are hard-pressed to build new classrooms to accommodate smaller classes. The current education studies do not support the position that smaller class sizes lead to increased student performance.
Recommendation – For
Federal Budget Question – Budgets
Asks whether Congress should add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a balanced federal budget.
Recommendation – For
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