Takeaways from Tallahassee — Suits for Session

Suits for Session

If you’ve gained a few pounds, lost weight, or just want to make room for a new spring wardrobe, this is the weekend to rustle through the closet to find and donate professional wear and accessories to “Suits for Session.”

For the seventh year, Volunteer Florida is sponsoring the service project to collect new and gently worn business attire to help prepare job seekers in need. Drop off will be held Wednesday on the 2nd floor of the Capitol Rotunda. Another curbside drop-off location will be available in front of Tallahassee City Hall.

“Suits for Session is our way of uniting lawmakers, agency partners, and local change-makers to make a tangible difference in the lives of job-seekers statewide,” said Volunteer Florida CEO Corey Simon. “It’s our honor to serve and lead by that example each year with this service project.”

Since its inception, Suits for Session has collected tens of thousands of items for distribution to organizations in Tallahassee and throughout the state. Recipient organizations this year include AMIkids Panama City Marine Institute, Bridges International, and CareerSource Gulf Coast.

“It’s a local project with a statewide impact,” said Volunteer Florida External Affairs Director Kim Hawkes. “It’s a big effort … and it will be on full display in the Rotunda.”

Hawkes said she and other staffers are already sorting donations from “agency folks and state employees” from 22 state departments and agencies.

Men’s and women’s items accepted include full suits, blazers/jackets, blouses/shirts, pants/trousers, dresses and skirts, ties, belts, shoes and handbags.

Also continuing support for this drive is Simply Healthcare Plans, a managed health care plan serving Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members in Florida.

“This service project invigorates everyone’s sprits each Legislative Session as we assemble from every corner of Florida to make a positive impact,” said Simply President Holly Prince. “In a very real way, we’re helping Floridians gain meaningful employment and get back on their feet with this donation initiative.”

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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado, Christine Jordan Sexton, Tristan Wood and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

House and Senate pass budget proposals — With three weeks remaining in the Session, the House and Senate have each passed their budget proposals and are prepared to start the budget conference. While the Senate approved its proposal unanimously and with little debate, 13 Democrats and one Republican in the House opposed the House proposal. Many House Democrats — even those who voted for it — critiqued several portions of the plan, including withholding $200 million from 12 school districts, cuts to Medicaid, and the lack of funds for the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) and State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) programs.

House passes 15-week abortion ban — After more than five hours of debate Wednesday and after being delayed by protests and a shouting match, the House voted shortly after midnight to ban abortions after 15 weeks. The fate of abortion access is now in the hands of the Republican-controlled Senate, where passage is almost certain. However, Democrats hope lawmakers will include exceptions for rape and incest. Tensions also flared on the House floor as protesters in the gallery chanted and interrupted bill sponsor Rep. Erin Grall. Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon posted on Twitter overnight that an “unhinged” and racist Republican Rep. Cord Byrd blamed Democrats for the protest. Meanwhile, Byrd called Nixon a “one-trick pony” who routinely calls her opponents White supremacists.

Senate passes amended water bill; skeptics remain — Senators on Thursday amended a major bill changing the management of water in South Florida and state environmental land-buying programs. The amendment was an attempt to assuage concerns from critics — including Gov. Ron DeSantis — that the bill would take funding from a project key to preventing water pollution in the region. It was unclear if the move allayed all the fears of the bill’s opponents, and a DeSantis spokeswoman said the Governor is still reviewing the map but that he remains committed to protecting the Everglades.

House advances map despite DeSantis pressure — DeSantis has submitted a second congressional map, but the House is marching forward with its staff-drawn map that maintains minority access districts. While the House Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee split along party lines to approve the House’s map, the committee made clear that submissions from DeSantis’ office will not influence cartography in the Legislature. Committee members pushed back against an expert flown in by the Governor’s Office to argue prioritizing minority access over compactness “will torpedo the ability of Florida to submit a set of districts it can call narrowly tailored.” But Subcommittee Chair Tyler Sirois reaffirmed, “The process requires us to follow the law.”

“Don’t Say Gay” heads to House floor — Controversial school-parental rights legislation dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics is ready for the House floor after passing the House Judiciary Committee this week. Although an amendment dialed back what had been broader language in the bill prohibiting school districts from “encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate,” classroom “instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity” for students in kindergarten through third grade, or “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” The bill advanced on a party-line vote despite opposition from Democrats.

SCOTUS shortlist

Among the shortlist for President Joe Biden’s U.S. Supreme Court pick is Ketanji Brown Jackson. On Friday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried threw her support behind her fellow Miami Palmetto Senior High School graduate in a letter to the President.

Fried wrote that Brown Jackson is eminently qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court.

“As a fellow graduate of my alma mater, Miami Palmetto Senior High School, I am acutely aware of Ms. Brown Jackson’s unimpeachable reputation in Florida for her sedulousness and esteemed record of consensus-building,” Fried wrote.

Brown Jackson, born in Washington, D.C., was president of her high school debate team. After leaving Florida, she graduated with honors from Harvard and Harvard Law.

Brown Jackson was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with bipartisan support in 2021. Previously, she was a federal trial court judge, a public defender, and a vice-chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Fried also commended Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the bench, adding that it would give the Court new perspectives and experiences it hasn’t had before.

“You have the opportunity to make history with this nomination, and I believe there is no better candidate than Ketanji Brown Jackson,” Fried said.