The James Madison Institute (JMI) released its list of legislative priorities it would like Florida lawmakers to tackle in the upcoming 2022 legislative session.
JMI’s proposed policies include the advancement of; innovation practices, education opportunities, expanded healthcare solutions, the protection of individual liberties, and the safeguarding of the values of free markets, choice, and liberty in federal policy.
The importance of innovation stems from Florida being the growing hub for technology in the country.
“Florida is, in fact, the future. And we don’t say that lightly. In a state of 22 million that grows by 6,000 a week, it is vital that policy matches the needs of the people and the economy. We are a hub of technological innovation, … and so much more,” JMI wrote in its list.
For policies dealing with innovation, JMI believes that the legislature should adopt a vision statement that outlines the state’s commitment to “permission-less innovation.” This includes; the expanded use of regulated software testing and development, updated regulations of money transmissions that would create a “flourishing” environment for cryptocurrency, and the creation of new rules that manage “new technological governance mechanisms such as ‘decentralized autonomous organizations’ (DAOs).”
As far as educational opportunities go, JMI wants to; expand the availability of all existing K-12 scholarship programs in the state; offer student-based funding for parents interested in any form of “DIY Education” for their children; and make permanent changes to the Hope Scholarship program that allows children to move schools if they have been victim of bullying, harassment, assault, or has been threatened at school.
Other educational policies include strengthened civics education that focuses on limiting “protest civics” activism programs, as well as allowing Florida universities performance funding that is tied to objective measures that reward them for being “havens for free expression, intellectual diversity, and the robust exchange of ideas.”
For healthcare, JMI’s priorities look to the continued advancement of supply-side reforms in Florida’s healthcare system that promotes choice and opportunity for patients, lower costs, and the retention of a necessary safety net for Floridians.
To “protect individual liberty and good governance,” JMI first prioritizes the promotion of principles found in the Conservative Florida Budget that commits to holding budget growth to “no more than population growth plus inflation.”
JMI then states its other priorities in this category that include; the modernization of public sector regulations, reforming Florida’s public retirement system, advancing conservative reforms to Florida’s juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, improving Florida’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) rules, and lastly, protecting individuals’ freedom to donate to causes they support without retribution.
Lastly, JMI’s policies to safeguard free markets, choice, and liberty in federal policy include; opposing federal attempts to socialize health insurance and healthcare provision; educating lawmakers and the public on the negative effects of “5G nationalization;” and creating election integrity and transparency laws that can “serve as a national benchmark for best practices in other states.”
“Looking ahead, it is vital to affirm, both for JMI and the 22 million (and growing) Floridians, that the mission moves forward. In the 2022 cycle, we will see the legislature tackle reapportionment, add a congressional district, pass a new budget, and (hopefully) continue advancing the Sunshine State as the best place to live, work, and start a business,” JMI stated.
“That doesn’t happen without a commitment to fiscal integrity, low taxes, minimal regulation, and legislative leadership to preserve the principles and reason for more than 800 new residents every single day.”
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Casey Owens is a contributing writer for The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “James Madison Institute” by Michael Rivera. CC BY-SA 3.0.
