HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. HM 783
1	CHAMBER ACTION
2	Senate House
3	.
4	.
5	.
6
7
8
9
10
11
12	Representative Ritter offered the following:
13
14	Amendment (with title amendment)
15	Remove everything after the resolving clause, and insert:
16
17	That the Legislature of the State of Florida requests each
18	member of the Florida delegation to the 108th United States
19	Congress to support and vote to enact the Economic Recovery Act
20	of 2003.
21
22	================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
23	Remove the entire title, and insert:
24	House Memorial
25	A Memorial to the Members of the Florida Delegation to the
26	Congress of the United States, urging such members of
27	Congress to support and vote to enact the Economic
28	Recovery Act of 2003.
29
30	WHEREAS, the Economic Recovery Act of 2003 has proposed an
31	economic growth and tax relief plan designed to strengthen the
32	American economy, provide immediate and critical middle-class
33	tax relief, provide financial aid to states and deliver critical
34	help to unemployed citizens, and,
35	WHEREAS, the Economic Recovery Act of 2003 will provide
36	every American adult with an immediate $300 tax cut and allow
37	every American family to tax an additional $300 for up to two
38	children, providing a $1200 tax cut for families of four, and,
39	WHEREAS, the Florida Chamber of Commerce reported that the
40	number of small businesses offering health insurance has dropped
41	from 91% in 1999 to 76% today, forcing many Floridians to go
42	without health insurance, and,
43	WHEREAS, the Economic Recovery Act of 2003 provides much
44	needed assistance to small businesses by allowing small
45	businesses to take a 50% tax credit to offset their health
46	insurance costs, and,
47	WHEREAS, in many rural communities, the lack of access to
48	broadband technology is hampering efforts to recruit high-wage,
49	high-tech jobs, and,
50	WHEREAS, the Economic Recovery Act of 2003 provides a 20
51	percent tax credit for businesses investing in broadband
52	internet infrastructure in rural and underserved areas, and,
53	WHEREAS, the additional costs of homeland security are
54	draining local government budgets and without additional
55	assistance from the federal government, many communities will be
56	required to raise taxes on their citizens, and,
57	WHEREAS, the Economic Recovery Act of 2003 provides $5
58	billion to states to help communities fund key homeland security
59	priorities, including funding for emergency planning, transit
60	security, fire communications systems, smallpox vaccine programs
61	and 25,000 new police, firefighters, EMT’s and other first
62	responders, and,
63	WHEREAS, an additional $6 billion will be provided to fund
64	the programs enacted in the No Child Left Behind Act, ensuring
65	that every classroom has a qualified teacher and providing
66	critical funding for after-school and summer school programs,
67	and,
68	WHEREAS, an additional $29 billion will be provided to help
69	states with their budget priorities, including additional
70	funding for Medicaid shortfalls and highway infrastructure, and,
71	WHEREAS, the State of Florida is facing an estimated budget
72	deficit of between $2 and $4 billion, and stands to receive
73	funding, if proportioned by population, of approximately $2
74	billion, from the Economic Recovery Act of 2003, and
75	WHEREAS, the Economic Recovery Act of 2003 is fiscally
76	sound and will not accelerate current federal budget deficits,
77	which are already reaching record levels of over $300,000,000
78	annually, NOW, THEREFORE,
79