Politics
Senate Appropriations Committee backs bills to promote government efficiency
The Senate Appropriations Committee is pushing a pair of bills that are part of the Senate’s government efficiency and accountability package.
The bills, which are being shepherded by President Pro Tempore Jason Brodeur and Sen. Gayle Harrell, would modernize the government’s accountability measures and add more cybersecurity protection and information technology oversight, the lawmakers said.
“Our state has been well served by the performance metrics, planning requirements, and accountability standards Governor Bush and legislative leaders put in place nearly 30 years ago,” said Senate President Ben Albritton in a statement.
“Florida has grown and changed a lot since that time, and today technology continues to revolutionize nearly every facet of our economy and our lives, at a pace never seen or felt before. It’s not enough to know government is completing a task or providing a service, we need to know if that service is being provided well, which means we need to have new, innovative ways to measure performance. Additionally, when it comes to cybersecurity, Floridians’ personal data, and the IT infrastructure of our state – our citizens expect us to get that right.”
Both bills are scheduled to be brought up Thursday during the next appropriations committee meeting.
SPB 7024 would create the Agency for State Systems and Enterprise Technology (ASSET) that would fall under the Cabinet’s control and serve as the state’s central IT governance body.
“Over my years in the House and Senate, Florida has tried many different ways to manage Information Technology. We have implemented several different structures, but we continue to face challenges,” said Harrell, a Stuart Republican.
“This legislation creates the Agency for State Systems and Enterprise Technology as a cabinet agency, bringing consolidated consulting teams divided by program areas to provide specific assistance to agencies and feedback to help develop guidelines and standards that will help make sure our data is protected,”
SPB 7024 would also require agencies to do cybersecurity risk assessments biennially and add new reporting when an IT project is one month late or $1 million over budget.
“Additionally, the bill enhances IT efficiency and modernization by requiring standardization and oversight of IT procurements, tracking and addressing technical debt to modernize outdated systems, and creating an IT test laboratory to ensure agencies understand what they need and the capabilities of tools and services they purchase,” according to a press release.
The second bill (SPB 7026) adds new reporting requirements and says “long-range program plans must include information about the implementation status of any law enacted in the previous legislative session” until all provisions of the law have been put into effect.
“The bill also outlines specific performance measures that must be included, such as administrative costs as a percentage of agency costs; percentage of corrective actions taken within 6 months after audit findings; totals and percentages spent on services by private attorneys; information on licensures and permits timeframes; and, contracting information,” per the release.
“The Government Efficiency Task Force, on which several Senators served, recommended modernizing the Long-Range Program Plan to improve flexibility, simplify processes, and shift a focus to measured outcomes as opposed to outputs,” said Brodeur, a Sanford Republican.
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Politics
Obscene heckler doesn’t stop bill targeting ‘academic boycott’ of Israel from advancing in Senate
The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee was the first Senate panel to approve Sen. Tom Leek’s measure (SB 1678) which would defend Israel against its opponents in schools and non-governmental agencies.
That bill suggests anti-Israeli actions undertaken by “an educational institution, a nonprofit organization, an agency, a local governmental entity or unit thereof, or a foreign government” amount to an “academic boycott.”
It urges cessation of state contracts and grants with those entities on the wrong side of the ideological conflict if they don’t change their ways.
These entities would have 90 days to correct their noncompliance and be removed from what would be called the Scrutinized Companies or Other Entities that Boycott Israel List under this proposal. Otherwise, the state would divest itself of contracts with them.
Even before Leek could speak, a member of the crowd called the bill “f****** b*******.” She was immediately excused from the room.
A delete all amendment clarified that public funds, such as the State Board of Administration or State University System, cannot invest in these companies. Additionally, it requires that Arts and Culture grants not go to support antisemitic work.
The bill would also target agreements, like foreign exchange programs, with foreign universities deemed to be supporting antisemitism.
Members of the public complained about the legislation, saying it restricted “academic freedom” and offered support to an Israeli regime they find objectionable.
However, others said the bill was necessary.
Miami Beach City Commissioner David Suarez noted the Boycott Divestment and Sanction movement was targeting cities like his, and the legislation was a way to counter “hateful campaigns from a noisy minority.”
Chair Randy Fine hailed Leek for carrying the bill, saying he’d worried about leaving Tallahassee and having no one carry this kind of legislation,
Leek’s bill has two more committee references.
Rep. Hillary Cassel’s bill (HB 1519) the companion legislation, also has two stops in the House. But it has yet to have a committee hearing.
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