February 2004

HASA LEGISLATIVE AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE UPDATE

HASA’s Legislative and benefits Committee met on Monday, February 9, 2004, at Blake Senior High School from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. Present at the meeting were: Earnest Fernandez, Lou Cerreta, Carol Menendez, Ken Allen, Rick LeGendre, Barbara Ragan, David Steel, John Miliziano, Susan King, Linda Cobbe, and Gilda Garcia. The following topics were discussed.

The FAIR Amendment was discussed in detail and all members present were continuing to work on securing signed voter petitions. Susan King, HAPE Sub-Committee chairperson, reported that HAPE has agreed on a 2004 legislative agenda. A brochure listing all the issues supported by HAPE has been printed and will soon be widely distributed to our Hillsborough Legislative Delegation. HAPE’s legislative agenda is very much in line with the Hillsborough County School Board’s agenda as well as the legislative agenda that was recently approved by the Tampa Bay Area Coalition. The committee voted to recommend to the HASA – PAC Board that Ashley Smith and Representative Ralph Arza be endorsed and provided with a financial contribution. Ashley Smith, a Retired Hillsborough Administrator and former HASA & FASA President, is running for Florida House seat 62. Ralph Arza, Florida Representative from Miami Dade area, is running for re-election. Mr. Arza is the sponsor of the “Sick Leave Bill”, HB 305, that if passed will remove the 60 day cap on administrators imposed by the Legislature in 2001.

Ken Allen announced that HASA was sending a delegation of HASA members to Tallahassee on March 15, 16, & 17 to Lobby for the Association’s and the School Board’s legislative agenda. Rick LeGendre, chairman of the Research Sub-Committee, was asked to continue researching information on pay schedules of neighboring and large Florida school districts.

Lou Cerreta, chairman of Discount Services Sub-Committee, will continue to explore other service areas that could be offered to HASA members. Lou will be informing members of the existing services and find out if the providers now on the HASA approved list are being accessed.  Earnest Fernandez, chairman of the Legal Defense Fund Sub-Committee, reported that the program has been accessed several times by HASA members, but as of this printing no-one has requested matching funds for work related legal services.