FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 12, 2018
CONTACT:
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
Lpadgett@jamesmadison.org
(850) 386-3131
STATEMENT RELEASE: 2018 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY
The James Madison Institute praises Gov. Scott and legislative leaders
for passing policies that position Florida for continued growth
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Floridians have a brighter future thanks to tireless work from Governor Rick Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, and other legislative leaders. Over the 2018 Legislative Session, a wide range of policy priorities of The James Madison Institute were passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor in the key areas of education, economic prosperity, and private property rights.
“The 2018 Florida Legislative Session was an important session for Florida’s future,” said JMI Vice President of Policy, Sal Nuzzo. “The entire team at JMI worked hard to educate and inform state legislators on policies that significantly advance limited government, personal liberty, and economic freedom.”
One of the policy areas most positively influenced by legislation enacted during the 2018 Legislative Session is school choice. JMI’s J. Stanley Marshall Center for Educational Options weighed in on a number of education proposals that were adopted into law, including:
•The Hope Scholarship
•Reading Improvement Scholarship
•Campus Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity
•Summer use of Bright Futures Scholarships
JMI’s Centers for Economic Prosperity and Property Rights were also active during the legislative session promoting the principles of limited government along with an environment that encourages growth and innovation. Significant victories in those areas included:
•Direct Primary Care
•Teacher Union Recertification
•Criminal Justice Reform
•Customary Use
“Protecting Floridians’ property rights, allowing free markets to flourish in the health care industry, and increasing educational opportunities for Florida’s children are just a few of the ways the Florida Legislature stepped forward and showed the nation that freedom and liberty work,” added Nuzzo.
While there were still a number of important issues left undone during the legislative session, JMI will continue to promote the tried and tested principles of free markets and limited government as we look toward the 2019 Legislative Session and beyond.
To review The James Madison Institute’s complete 2018 Legislative Summary report: http://bit.ly/JMI2018LegSummary
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As Florida’s premier free-market think tank, The James Madison Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational organization. The Institute conducts research on such issues as health care, taxes, and regulatory environments.
