Steve Crisafulli Legislative Update: Florida House Passes $1 Billion Tax Cut Package
By Space Coast Daily // February 7, 2016
LEGISLATIVE SESSION UPDATE
This week, the House Finance and Tax Committee formally introduced and passed the House’s $1 billion tax cut package.
House Bill 7099 provides meaningful tax relief that will not only make Florida a more affordable state to live, but also a better place to open and expand a business.
Some of the major components of the tax cut package include:
• A permanent cut to the business rent tax.
• A permanent elimination of the sales tax on the purchase of manufacturing equipment.
• A 10-day Back to School sales tax holiday.
• An extension of the sales tax exemption on college textbooks and course supplies.
• The creation of additional 1-day sales tax holidays to encourage shopping at small businesses, purchasing new technology, and purchasing hunting and fishing equipment.
• Expanded eligibility for tax relief for disabled veterans and the spouses of deceased veterans who sacrificed their lives for our country.
The Florida House is #DownOnTaxes because we believe cutting taxes will provide needed relief for Florida’s families and help our small businesses continue to invest and grow, keeping Florida a national leader in job creation.
This week, the Florida House passed three important bills aimed at protecting Floridians’ Second Amendment rights.
House Bill 163 allows law-abiding citizens with a concealed carry permit to openly carry their firearm in a holster or in a case or bag. Currently, Florida is one of only five states that does not allow open carry of firearms. I believe allowing responsible citizens to carry openly will help further deter criminal activity in our state.
House Bill 4001 allows those with a valid concealed firearms permit to carry concealed firearms on college and university campuses. Currently, college campuses are vulnerable “gun-free zones.” I believe this legislation will improve the safety of our college campuses by empowering law-abiding gun owners with the ability to defend themselves and others on campus if necessary.
Senate Bill 130 prohibits the recreational discharge of firearms in dense residential areas. I believe gun owners should not participate in reckless target or celebratory shooting in densely populated neighborhoods. This bill provides an important exception to ensure our right to self-defense is not abridged. The bill passed the House unanimously.
Strong public safety laws that protect Second Amendment rights and allow citizens to protect themselves, their families, and their property contribute to creating a safer state for all Floridians. By passing these three important bills, the Florida House has once again signaled we stand firmly beside Floridians’ constitutional rights and their ability to defend themselves from harm.
House Passes Legislation to Deter Sanctuary Cities
I believe “sanctuary city” policies in our state make communities less safe and run contrary to the rule of law. To address the potential harm these policies cause, the Florida House passed House Bill 675 on Wednesday.
This bill prohibits cities and counties from enacting sanctuary policies. If a local government currently has such policy in place, they have 90 days to repeal the local ordinance. The bill creates civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day for any sanctuary policy that a city or county enacts. It also authorizes the Governor to suspend any appointed or elected government official who enacts or does not repeal a sanctuary policy.
The bill also requires cities and counties to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement requests, such as detainers. Additionally, it creates a civil cause of action for a person injured by an illegal immigrant against a local government if the injury was due to the local government’s sanctuary policy which gave the illegal immigrant access to the victim.
With the passage of this bill, we are showing, as a matter of policy in the state of Florida, state or local governmental agencies will not be allowed to refuse to cooperate with the enforcement of existing federal immigration law. I believe this bill strengthens Florida’s adherence to immigration laws in a common sense manner.
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