Senate President Office — Press Release

Senate President and House Speaker to Give Joint Speech at AP Editor's Forum

Tallahassee — Senate President Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) and Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel) will jointly address a group of newspaper editors and journalists during the Associated Press Editor’s Forum on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. Held annually, the forum brings together newspaper editors, publishers, journalists, bloggers and other members of the media from across the state and features a number of state government speakers who deliver remarks and take questions.  

In addition, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Senate President Gaetz and Speaker Weatherford will appear together to film the Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Show produced by the Florida Cable Telecommunications Association. The show will be taped in the House Chamber.

As a reminder, the Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives will host the fourth annual pre-session press information session this Thursday, January 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Capitol, Room 33. Members of the media wishing to attend the information session should contact Britton Alexander at (850) 487-5229 or via Alexander.Britton@FLSenate.govto RSVP.  Please see the agenda below for a schedule of topics.  

 ALL INTERESTED MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND:

Senate President Gaetz and House Speaker Weatherford Deliver Joint Speech at APEditor’s Forum

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Time:   10:00 a.m.

Where: The Capitol

22^nd Floor

404 S. Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399

Taping of Mr. Speaker, Mr. President

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Time:   2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Where: House Chambers

404 S. Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32399

Pre-Session Press Information Session

Thursday, January 31, 2013
 

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Location: The Capitol, Room 333

Agenda:

8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. – 2013-2014 Budget Briefing: JoAnne Leznoff, staff director for the House Appropriations Committee, will present a briefing on the components of and the process by which the Legislature compiles the annual budget. Mike Hansen, staff director for the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Amy Baker, Director of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, will be available during the Q & A portion of this section.

9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. – PPACA Update: Carol Gormley, the Senate’s Senior Policy Advisor on Health and Human Services and Christa Calamas, Staff Director for the House Health and Human Services Committee, will provide an update on the policy choices surrounding Florida’s response to the federal government’s implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Ethics Training Preview: Senate General Counsel George Levesque will discuss legislative ethics requirements and preview the Senate Ethics Training Course in which Senators will participate during the month of February. Lisa Vickers, the Senate’s Senior Policy Advisor on Government Operations will be available during the Q & A portion of this section.

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 a.m. – Elections Law Overview: House General Counsel, Daniel Nordby,will provide an overview of current election and campaign finance laws.

Please note that Wi-Fi will be available during the information session. For those who are unable to attend in person, briefing materials will be available for download on the Senate and House websites, www.FLSenate.govand www.MyFloridaHouse.gov and via DVD. Presentations will be streamed live via the Florida Channel www.TheFloridaChannel.org.

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