The end of the 2017 regular legislative session brings the release of several organizations’ reports analyzing different aspects of the session. Two notable ones:
Florida TaxWatch’s annual Budget Turkey Watch Report identifies appropriation items the nonprofit, nonpartisan government watchdog considers “Budget Turkeys” – items typically added to the appropriations bill during the budget conference that circumvent established processes.
Associated Industries of Florida’s 2017 Voting Records report is another must-read publication. This legislative scorecard provides information on how individual lawmakers voted on issues important to the business community. This year, more than 208,966 votes on 1,955 bills were calculated.
– Jennifer Fennell, CoreMessage, Inc.