Insurance, K9s and weed among Cabinet legislative priorities

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Chief Monetary Officer Jimmy Patronis needs to make navigating insurance coverage claims extra shopper pleasant, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried needs to struggle starvation and Legal professional Common Ashley Moody needs higher protections for seniors who’re exploited.

Whereas Florida’s three independently elected Cupboard members can’t sponsor or vote on payments, they maintain necessary management roles in state authorities and every is working with lawmakers to move laws.

The Related Press interviewed every of the Cupboard members to debate their 2021 legislative priorities:

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JIMMY PATRONIS

Considered one of Patronis’s high priorities displays a problem supported by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders: Passing a invoice to protect companies from lawsuits associated to COVID-19.

“COVID-19 lawsuits are going to occur and individuals are going to have this sue and settle atmosphere,” mentioned Patronis, whose household owns a restaurant. “Do proper by your staff and your costumers. Security measures ought to be simple to know. I simply wish to put individuals forward of legal professionals’ earnings.

He’s additionally pushing for a legislation that might require corporations to let customers choose out of getting their private data offered to different corporations. He mentioned he was impressed by a California legislation that went into have an effect on final 12 months in that state. Nevada has an analogous legislation.

“I mentioned I need this in Florida. I wish to shield individuals’s rights on their data so Large Tech can’t harvest it,” Patronis mentioned. ”If California and Nevada can do it, by God, Florida can do it.”

He’s additionally working with lawmakers on a invoice that might make a number of adjustments to insurance coverage legal guidelines in an effort to guard customers from fraud and a bevy of charges. Amongst different issues, it will give 10 calendar days to cancel a claims adjuster contract with out penalty, as an alternative of the present three enterprise days. It could additionally crack down on unlicensed adjusters and make it unlawful for contractors to solicit a shopper to file an insurance coverage declare.

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AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER NIKKI FRIED

Amongst Fried’s priorities helps the hungry. A large ranging meals insecurity invoice would create a tax credit score of as much as $5,000 for farmers who donate meals to charities.

“We all know that COVID has solely worsened our power starvation” drawback, Fried mentioned.

The laws additionally would require state companies and universities to position a precedence on meals produced in Florida when contracting for meals companies and would develop free meal availability in faculties with a excessive share of scholars from low earnings households.

She additionally needs a number of adjustments to the state’s medical marijuana legislation, together with the institution of a testing advisory council, permitting individuals with medical marijuana playing cards in different states to have the ability to receive it in Florida and protections for staff who legally use it.

“We’ve seen tales time and time once more the place individuals are being fired as a result of they’re getting THC detected of their checks,” Fried mentioned. “It is a medication, a constitutionally protected medication.”

She’s additionally pushing for an vitality invoice that might require state and native governments, utilities and sure giant companies to trace and report greenhouse fuel emissions. The laws additionally would create incentives for carbon farming, an agricultural observe that will increase carbon saved in soil and vegetation and reduces greenhouse fuel emissions.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY

Moody’s high precedence is laws that addresses exploitation of the aged. It could give the Workplace of Statewide Prosecution jurisdiction to analyze such instances.

“It makes certain that we are able to go after these people like guardians and different fiduciaries which are exceeding their scope and taking benefit and exploiting seniors,” Moody mentioned.

A former choose, Moody says she has seen many instances the place individuals have taken benefit of seniors, an issue that always goes unreported.

“There’s a humiliation that they have been in a position to be taken benefit of. Generally we discover that they don’t even wish to inform relations as a result of they don’t need household to imagine they don’t seem to be able to taking good care of themselves.”

Moody additionally needs a loophole closed within the state’s sexual offender registration legislation. A choose just lately dominated {that a} man who spent 12 years in jail after being convicted of molesting youngsters didn’t should register as a intercourse offender as a result of the legislation states registration isn’t required till a sentence is accomplished, and he hadn’t paid of a $10,000 high quality that was a part of his sentence.

She’s additionally supporting a invoice that might enable EMTs and paramedics to offer remedy on the scene to police K9s injured within the line of obligation or transport them to hospitals or veterinary clinics.

“They do plenty of harmful work. We ship them in first in lots of, many conditions the place people are available second and they’re usually instances the primary to come across hazard and the primary to be injured,” Moody mentioned.

— to apnews.com

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