Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford Announces 2014 Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs

 

Speaker-Designate Steve Crisafulli (R-Merrit Island) to serve as House Majority Leader

 

House Speaker Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel) released the list of 2014 chairs and vice chairs of substantive committees for the Florida House of Representatives today, July 31, 2013.

To view the list of 2014 House committee and subcommittee leaders, click here.

Highlighting the announcement was Speaker Weatherford’s appointment of Steve Crisafulli (R-Merritt Island) as the Florida House Majority Leader.

“Speaker-Designate Crisafulli has already earned the support of the Republican caucus as a future Speaker; as Majority Leader, he will help to articulate our party’s vision for less government, education reform, low taxes and economic freedom in the next year,” Speaker Weatherford said.  “I want to thank Leader Precourt for doing a tremendous job in the Majority Office this year and I look forward to his leadership as the new chair of the State Affairs Committee.”

According to the House news release on the 2014 appointments, changes to the vice chair positions were based on a decision to provide leadership opportunities to a number of freshman legislators.  Promoting new members after the first year is a common practice in the Florida House of Representatives, the House explained.

Leadership in the House Regulatory Affairs Committee, which oversees the Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, remains unchanged for 2014.

In addition to the substantive committees, Speaker Weatherford will appoint State Representative Jose Oliva to serve as the chair of a newly created Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation.  The Select Committee will investigate health care practitioner workforce needs in Florida and explore policy options for meeting those needs.  The Committee will study and pursue solutions for ensuring access to the right care in the right setting, including methods for increasing the number of practitioners educated in Florida, allowing practitioners to practice to the full extent of their education and training, and attracting a world-class health care workforce to Florida.  State Representative Cary Pigman will serve as the vice chair.

Pursuant to House Rules, the Speaker will create the select committee; announce the membership; and assign the jurisdiction, authority and powers in a memo, which will be released in the next few weeks.

Below is a comparative list showing the specific House committee and subcommittee leadership changes from 2013:

• Speaker Designate Steve Crisafulli (R- Merritt Island) replaces Steve Precourt (R-Orange) as Majority Leader
• Finance and Tax Committee:  Jake Raburn (R-Hillsborough) replaces Marlene O’Toole (R- Marion) as Vice Chair
• Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee:  MaryLynn Magar (R- Palm Beach) replaces Jose Oliva (R- Miami-Dade) as Vice Chair
• Justice Appropriations Subcommittee:  Travis Cummings (R-Clay) replaces Kathleen Passidomo (R-Collier)
• Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee:  Ray Rodrigues (R-Lee) replaces Jason Brodeur (R-Seminole) as Vice Chair
• K-12 Subcommittee:  Manny Diaz (R-Miami-Dade) replaces Ronald Renuart (R-St. Johns) as Vice Chair
• Health Innovation Subcommittee:  Jason Brodeur (R-Seminole) replaces John Wood (R- Polk) as Chair
• Judiciary Committee:  Charlie Stone (R-Levy) replaces Kathleen Passidomo (R-Collier) as Vice Chair
• Energy & Utilities Subcommittee:  Jose Diaz (R-Miami-Dade) replaces Clay Ford (R-Escambia) as Chair; Mike La Rosa (R-Osceola) replaces Jose Diaz (R-Miami-Dade) as Vice Chair
• Rulemaking, Oversight and Repeal Subcommittee:  John Wood (R-Polk) replaces John Tobia (R-Brevard) as Chair; Jeanette Nunez (R-Miami-Dade) replaces David Santiago (R-Volusia) as Vice Chair
• State Affairs Committee:  Steve Precourt (R-Orange) replaces Steve Crisafulli (R-Brevard) as Chair
• Ethics and Elections Subcommittee:  Kathleen Passidomo (R-Collier) replaces Jim Boyd (R-Sarasota) as Chair
• Government Operations Subcommittee:  Jim Boyd (R-Sarasota) replaces Jason Brodeur (R-Seminole) as Chair

 

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