Public Policy

Chamber Priorities Successful in Legislative Session

The focus of the Manatee Chamber’s public policy work is to build a positive business environment by advocating responsive legislation and regulatory practices as well as ensuring we support and protect our area's business and tourism climates. Thanks to significant input and involvement by our members, we provide ongoing advocacy and serve as the voice of business, working with elected officials and agency staff at the local, state, and federal levels on issues affecting our community.

Our 20+ Chamber committees and task forces meet regularly to assess issues, develop policy positions, and provide a platform for hearing from our members on the issues most important to our region.

The Chamber's Legislative Committee spent two days in Tallahassee to advocate for our state legislative priorities. These business leaders and local elected officials gave a voice to the issues of high importance to our members.

In February, members of our Legislative Committee spent several days in Tallahassee, just prior to the start of the Florida Legislative Session, meeting with our locally elected representatives in the Senate and the House of Representatives, legislative staff, and policy heads from the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Department of Environmental Protection. We shared the Chamber's priorities and urged their consideration of local concerns.

Fast-forward to May and our state government wrapped up its regular 2023 Legislative Session, approving the largest budget in state history totaling $117 billion. It includes substantial investments in affordable and workforce housing, education, environmental, and health care spending as well as pay raises for state employees.

Overall, the 2023 regular session included:

• 1,851 bills filed, including special session

• 2,674 amendments filed

• 3,229 votes taken

• 366 bills passed, including special session, in both chambers of the legislation

Several of the Manatee Chamber priorities successfully made it over the finish line, including much needed financial assistance towards homeownership, a number of education and workforce initiatives as well as funding for important infrastructure projects.

The legislature budgeted $711 million for affordable and workforce housing programs; almost $7 billion in transportation and infrastructure projects including the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative designed to prioritize nearly two dozen critical infrastructure projects across the state including the widening of State Road 70 in east Manatee County.

Very early in the session, the house and senate also passed a comprehensive and meaningful lawsuit abuse reform package supported by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. The measure will begin the process of putting $5,000 a year back into the pockets of Florida families and begin to redirect the billions of dollars spent on frivolous lawsuits each year, enabling families and local businesses to use those dollars to invest back into their businesses.

The Chamber's Legislative Committee serves as a key resource by sharing perspectives from their industries as well as considering the impact of issues on the entire business community and our area's quality of life. This committee meets primarily in the fall to develop our State and Federal Business Agenda, which then goes to the Chamber's Board of Directors for review and approval. The committee is often called upon to research and discuss a new bill or a new issue that has come up suddenly through the legislative process. The commitment of these members make our Chamber stronger and enhance our ability to quickly respond to requests from elected officials, government agencies, and our members.

We will start developing our 2024 Business Agenda this fall, in preparation for the next legislative session (scheduled to start in January 2024). We need input from our members on issues that impact our community, policies that are barriers to continued economic expansion, and proposals that create an environment to support our members' ability to grow their businesses.

For more information on the Legislative Committee or other committee and task force involvement, contact Tara Poulton at TaraP@ManateeChamber.com or 941-748-4842, ext. 124.

The Chamber's Legislative Committee spent two days in Tallahassee to advocate for our state legislative priorities. These business leaders and local elected officials gave a voice to the issues of high importance to our members.