AARP Florida 2007 Legislative Summary

By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-06-29 15:25:27.548956-04:00

Florida lawmakers have taken strong action in 2007 to improve the lives of Floridians 50+, AARP's top leader in Florida said as she congratulated the Legislature.

AARP Florida State Director Lori Parham cited lawmakers' success in protecting elders' ability to choose how and where they receive long-term care, protecting volunteer drivers from excessive insurance costs, and helping about 1 million eligible Floridians of modest means get access to an important telephone credit.

"Florida lawmakers faced a difficult year in 2007," said Parham. "On behalf of more than 2.8 million AARP members in Florida, we congratulate lawmakers for making sound choices on issues important to Floridians 50+."

Parham added that lawmakers' recent action changing property tax law, in a June special session, presents Floridians 50+ with a major change in state law. AARP continues to study the complex, far-reaching legislation on property-tax law to determine how it would benefit AARP members, businesses, and others and how it would affect critical public services. Parham noted that some of the most significant aspects of the legislation involve a constitutional amendment to be voted on by Floridians in January 2008, so some outcomes cannot yet be determined.

AARP Florida volunteers and staff worked hard on behalf of Floridians 50+ to ensure that Florida lawmakers provided more affordable housing, restrained rising utilities costs, strengthened protection against skyrocketing hurricane insurance rates, and understood the need to improve long-term care.

Long-Term Care System Reform

Keeping choice in long-term care... Lawmakers revised a plan that would have required Medicaid-eligible seniors 60+ in the Pensacola area to sign up with managed-care plans, such as HMOs, to receive vital long-term care services. Instead, lawmakers authorized two fully voluntary pilots in Orlando and Miami, in which seniors and their families will be offered long-term care through managed-care plans but will be fully free to choose. A pilot previously planned for Orlando would have automatically assigned seniors to managed-care plans unless they objected, and then left them to figure out how to opt out of managed care if they wished. Under budget language approved by lawmakers, seniors and their families will be free to choose any nursing home, hospital or doctor they wish. Parham said AARP will continue to press for system-wide long-term care reform in coming years.
Creating a better system to connect families with elder-care options... Lawmakers approved $3 million for Aging Resource Centers, local non-profit groups that will provide authoritative, neutral advice to families and caregivers on where to find local elder-care services. Sens. Lisa Carlton, R-Sarasota, Nan Rich, D-Sunrise, and Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Fort Walton Beach, played key roles in providing this funding. Parham said AARP is "delighted that this program will receive recurring funding."

Telecom and Electric Utilities

Providing a "lifeline" to nearly 1 million eligible Florida telephone customers... Under federal law, all landline telephone users pay a Universal Service Fee to help low-income people afford the cost of basic local telephone service. In Florida, the Lifeline program provides a credit of $13.50 a month or more toward the cost of basic local phone service. Until this year, eligible Floridians have had to learn about the program and follow procedures to receive this benefit. Thus, only about 12.7 percent of eligible Floridians have received this benefit. Under a provision of SB 998 championed by Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River, and Rep. Juan Zapata, R-Miami. anyone who qualifies for food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, public housing or other programs with similar eligibility standards will automatically be signed up for the Lifeline program as well.

The bill codifies an innovative agreement between the Public Service Commission and the Department of Children and Families, announced in April with AARP's support, to provide this benefit. Statewide, more than 200,000 AARP members are estimated to be eligible for the program. This legislation, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Rep. Trey Travesia, R-Tampa, also saves consumers up to $157 million in planned phone rate increases.

Livable Communities

Affordable Housing

AARP supported a repeal of the housing trust fund cap to ensure that Florida families and seniors have the opportunity to access quality, affordable housing in 2007 and beyond. Parham voiced disappointment that lawmakers allowed an existing cap on state support for affordable housing to remain in place, capping funding for affordable-housing programs even though hundreds of millions of tax dollars earmarked for these programs already have been collected and although millions of Floridians are faced with skyrocketing housing costs. Parham said AARP will continue to work with the Florida Housing Coalition to use earmarked tax dollars to support these important programs.

Transportation

Protecting driving-program volunteers from costly car insurance... Florida volunteers working with community-based senior transportation programs had been at risk of having their automobile insurance drastically raised if they participated in certain kinds of volunteer programs that help older people get around when they have decided to hang up the keys. Under HB 359 by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, volunteers will be protected against the liability that caused insurers to raise rates.

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