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Weekly Update from Senator Greg Evers
September 16, 2011
As you may have heard, this week a federal judge in Miami blocked and declared unconstitutional the patient privacy bill that I proudly sponsored and championed last Session to prevent patients being interrogated about whether they had guns in their homes. I would like to make one thing very clear: this bill was crafted and passed with the intention to protect a patient or the parent of a patient from a bad faith or unnecessary inquisition into whether the patient or parent owned guns. It does nothing to impede a doctor from asking anything they wish, including whether a firearm is in the home, provided the question is asked in good faith, and for the purpose of identifying or treating a disease. I will follow the appeal of this case that Governor Scott has promised very closely and I am committed to standing up for this bill and Floridians’ Second Amendment rights.
Also, we are now going full steam ahead with proposed legislation for the upcoming Session. Senate Bill 220, the Florida Driver’s License Citizen Protection Act, will make for a more secure and less burdensome process for citizens to obtain, renew or modify their driver’s license or ID card.
I also filed Senate Bill 238, repealing the Florida Renewable Fuel Standard Act, which requires a percentage of ethanol to be included in all gas for sale. The Act was passed in 2008, at a time when we had no knowledge of the problems associated with it. Today, fellow Legislators and I are hearing complaints about damages to small engines, heavy equipment engines, tractor engines, and we all face rising in food costs as a direct result of the rise in the price of corn being diverted to ethanol production. We are seeing that this mandate was just not in the best interest of our constituents, and we must correct it.
A copy of a study that shows the damages ethanol can have on engines, conducted by Oklahoma State University, can be found here.
I have also filed Senate Bill 240, a 10th Amendment memorial, urging Congress to honor our state’s sovereignty and the limits to the scope and exercise of federal power, made clear in the United States Constitution. I will keep you informed as these bills make their way through the committee process. I urge you to keep me informed of your legislative priorities and your suggestions for legislation you would like to see crafted.
I am looking forward to heading back to Tallahassee next week and participating in the designation ceremony for our future President of the Senate and fellow Northwest Floridian, Senator Don Gaetz. I wish him my sincerest congratulations and prayers as he leads our Senate and our state into the future.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at greg@gregevers.com.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Greg
