Lots of good grades on AFP-Florida’s 2021 legislative scorecard; push planned to highlight successes

by Brian Burgess | Jul 12, 2021

The Florida arm of one of the nation’s largest free-market, grass roots advocacy groups, Americans for Prosperity (AFP-FL), today released its 2021 Legislative Scorecard, ranking Florida lawmakers based on their support of policies backed by the grassroots organization.

The group also says it launching a digital and direct mail campaign in conjunction with the scorecard release to highlight the 76 Florida lawmakers who earned an A+ rating.

“The legislative session brought numerous wins for Florida, including more educational opportunities for families and students, greater access to quality, affordable health care, and more work options to help our economy recover from the pandemic,” said Skylar Zander, State Director for AFP-FL. “With the help of these lawmakers, Floridians have more freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams and succeed.”

The scorecard tracked the votes of 120 state representatives and 40 state senators across thousands of individual votes and dozens of bills in both chambers of the state legislature.

Zander said the scorecard rankings are based on lawmakers’ votes on those bills, but highlighted the following:

HB 7045 — This bill simplifies and streamlines the state’s scholarship programs while also expanding eligibility and access to them. Having played a part in advancing this legislation from the start, Americans for Prosperity-Florida was delighted to see it become law to provide families with the flexibility to decide the right educational paths for their children.
HB 431 — This bill expands the scope of practice of physician assistants (PAs), broadens how PAs can become certified, allows PAs to directly bill for services, and increases the number of PAs a doctor can supervise to ten. The legislature passed HB 431 and Governor Ron DeSantis has signed it into law.
SB 768 — This bill allows pharmacists and pharmacy interns to administer more vaccines to adults, including any vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration. This would include vaccines protecting against COVID-19. Governor DeSantis has signed this bill into law.
HB 403 — This bill reduces unnecessary regulations that make it harder for home-based businesses to thrive. Governor DeSantis has signed the bill into law, allowing for job creation and more economic growth as Florida seeks new, innovative ways to provide services to local communities.
HB 735 — This bill standardizes requirements for occupational licensing and removes additional barriers placed at the local level for contractors. Currently, 30 percent of Florida’s workforce is required to seek a government permission slip—or occupational license—to provide for their families in their chosen career path. This creates a substantial barrier for those seeking opportunities in a variety of industries, and disproportionately impacts low-income individuals who are forced to pay for licensing fees and requirements before holding down a job in their chosen profession. Governor DeSantis has signed the bill into law.