House Speaker-Designate Will Weatherford says the state can’t do ethics reform without campaign finance reform. Weatherford wants to make campaign contributions more transparent, and reduce the influence of third party groups. He says one way to do that is to raise contribution limits, which would let people give more money directly to candidates.
“I think $500 is archaic. I think if you compare us to other states, Florida has one of the lowest contribution rates in the country. And so, we all know people are spending a lot of money on campaigns, unfortunately, none of it is going to the campaign,' Weatherford told reporters Tuesday.
He says donations should be posted within 24 hours, something also recommended by the state watchdog group, Integrity Florida. Incoming Senate President Don Gaetz has also talked about the need for ethics and campaign reform.
In addition, Weatherford wants a review of Florida’s handling of the recent election. The incoming house speaker says the delay in determining which candidate won Florida was embarrassing.
""It's not a good thing when it's Friday, three days after the election, and every state in the country is either red or blue, and there's one of them that's yellow 'cause they haven't counted the votes yet and decided where the 29 electoral votes are going. I think that's something we should be embarrassed by and we should make sure, going forward, doesn't happen again, he said."
Florida's long lines and delayed results has been fodder for late-night talk show hosts and others.
Meanwhile, Weatherford is putting state employees on notice: he plans to continue refining retirement benefits. That includes moving new employees into 401-k style plans. That's something started two years ago by Governor Rick Scott with a law requiring existing state employees to contribute to their pensions. The bill is being challenged in Florida's courts.
Weatherford also says now that the election is over, the state will also have to address what it will do regarding the federal healthcare overhaul law: and that includes whether the state will expand Medicaid or create its own health insurance exchange where people can compare and purchase health plans:
“But Long-term, my hope is that if we have to have an exchange, it is one that maximizes competition and one that maximizes choices for the consumer. If that’s a state exchange, it’s a state exchange. If it’s a partnership exchange with the feds…it should be a partnership exchange and if it’s a federal exchange, is a federal exchange.”
The deadline for the state to notify the federal government of its intentions about the health insurance exchange was Friday but has been pushed back to December.
Also on Weatherford's to-do list: higher education funding.The incoming House Speaker says he shares the governor’s concerns about affordability, but adds that tuition has to be a part of the funding conversation. Governor Rick Scott has opposed tuition increases despite the state having one of the lowest rates in the nation.
