Introduction
For 2018, the news headlines drove much of the agenda for the Regular Session of the Legislature. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, sexual harassment scandals, and the Parkland shootings diverted much of the attention and focus of legislators. Of the nearly 3,200 legislative bills filed for the 2018 Session, only 166 general bills passed both legislative Chambers, and the Governor vetoed one of those. The 2018 legislative Regular Session led to wins and disappointments on issues important to Floridians ages 50+. This Voting Record sets forth summaries of those bills and how legislators voted on them. When the first legislative committee of reference placed on its public hearing agenda a bill significant to AARP’s members and Florida residents 50 years of age and older, AARP notified legislators by email (see p. 76 for an example) that AARP would track the bill and report the votes on that bill, or any successor bill, through the entire legislative process. AARP also provided updates on the legislative status of the bill to its volunteers and stakeholders via the AARP blog and AARP Twitter accounts. Section I of the 2018 Legislative Voting Record provides a complete list of all Florida legislators and their parties, districts, and county legislative delegations. Section II provides a summary of all the bills AARP Florida selected for the final voting record report. The summaries are set forth by subject matter areas (budget, health and supportive services, consumer protections, livable communities, and bills of interest that were not selected for vote recording). The summaries identify the pages where readers may review the voting records for each bill. Section III provides appendices that include sample communications to legislators and bills selected for vote recording by date of notice. This document is based on information as of March 23, 2018. Visit www.aarp.org/flvotingrecord2018 to view the electronic version of this 2018 report.
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