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STATE PROGRAM 2011-2013
Adopted May 2011
GOVERNMENT IN
FLORIDA
Promote an open
government that is responsive
to the people of the state
Florida Constitution
Support
basic law that assures a government responsive
and accountable to the people of the state.
Issues for action:
-
Actively promote and support the reapportionment
process
- Promote the
strengthening of the Florida. Commission on Ethics including the
areas of independence, subpoena power and ability to levy fines and initiate an
investigation.
- Support the extension of ethics reform to county
and city government
Finance and Taxation
Support a
state fiscal structure that is equitable in
its distribution of the tax responsibility and responsive
to public needs
Election Law
Support measures to protect, extend and encourage
the use of the franchise and to advocate
fair methods of financing political campaigns.
Issues for action:
- Support greater
flexibility in the selection of early voting sites
EDUCATION IN
FLORIDA
Support for a free
public school system for Florida with high standards for student achievement and with equality
of educational opportunity for all that is financed adequately by the state through
an equitable funding formula.
Issues for Action:
- Promote adequate
funding of public education with no use of public funding for the
expansion of funding of private education through a voucher program
- Promote the extension
of public school testing of student achievement to private schools,
charter schools and any institutions that receive state funding.
JUSTICE IN
FLORIDA
Support a
judicial system that provides a unified
court structure, improved provisions for judicial selection and merit retention and equal access to legal
services. Support a criminal justice
system that emphasizes rehabilitation and alternatives to incarceration.
SOCIAL POLICY IN FLORIDA
Secure equal rights and equal opportunity
for all. Promote social and economic
justice, and the health and
safety of all Americans.
Children and Families
Support measures to meet special
concerns of children and families, including countering intrafamily abuse and providing for safe foster
care and shelter care.
Farmworkers
Support measures to provide adequate living
and working conditions for farmworkers.
Financing & Delivery of Health Care
Support measures to implement Florida
health care in a manner consistent
with the LWVUS position
on health care reform.
Issue for Action:
- Support implementation of the Federal Health
Care Reform Law in Florida, emphasizing access for all and control of costs
Immigration
Support the rights of
legal immigrants to prevention or reduction of poverty, a minimum basic level of health care at affordable cost, the well-being
of children and families and access to free public schools with federal and state financial assistance to
communities disproportionately impacted by immigration.
Libraries
Support full
funding of eligible public library systems
as provided in Section 257.27 Florida Statutes
Issue
for Action:
- Support the continued funding of public
libraries in the state.
Handgun Control
Support
regulations concerning the purchase, ownership and use of handguns that balance as nearly as possible
individual constitutional rights with the general interest and welfare of the
community.
SUSTAINABILITY
Support
governmental action that results in sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without
endangering the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. Environment,
society and the economy must be integrated
and balanced to achieve a sustainable Florida.
Issues for Action:
- Support public transportation projects which
yield multi-modal investments in local and state enhanced infrastructure.
- Support governmental actions that result in
sustainability by meeting the needs of the present without endangering the
future
- Support the adoption of a renewable portfolio standard
NATURAL RESOURCES IN FLORIDA
Promote an environment beneficial to
life through
the protection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest by recognizing the
interrelationship of air quality, energy, land use, waste management and water
resources.
Resource Management Land Use
Promote
resource conservation, stewardship and long-range planning, with the
responsibility for managing natural resources shared by all levels of government.
Energy
Support
state legislation for energy conservation and greater
use of renewable sources such as solar energy.
Issues for Action:
- Promote the passage
of comprehensive energy policy that includes targets for expansion of
renewable energy and conservation efforts.
Freshwater Resources
Support public policies that promote conservation
of freshwater and its availability for
environmental, public supply, agricultural, industrial and mining
uses on a priority basis.
Coastal Management
Support intergovernmental stewardship of and fiscal
responsibility for the Florida coast, under the
management of the state, while recognizing the
dominance of nature and the role of the sand
transport system.
Environmental
Protection and Pollution Control
Preserve the
physical, chemical and biological integrity
of the ecosystem, with maximum protection of public health and the environment. (LWVUS)
Public Participation
Promote public understanding and participation in
decision making as essential elements of responsible
and responsive management of our natural
resources. (LWVUS)
Agriculture
Promote resource
conservation, stewardship and long-range planning, with the
responsibility for managing natural resources shared by all levels of government. (LWVUS)
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