The CRC recently completed its committee work.  It narrowed down the number of proposed amendments from an initial 1,000 proposals by the public to 100 undertaken by members of the CRC with 37 currently approved by their committees.

The next phase of the CRC is a second round of public hearings.  Those hearings are currently scheduled in Melbourne on 2/19, Jacksonville on 2/20, Pensacola on 2/27, Cape Coral on 3/5, and St. Petersburg on 3/13.  Details on these locations can be found below.

The first public hearing in this second round of CRC hearings occurred this past week in Fort Lauderdale, one of the most liberal cities in the state.  The forum was packed with what appeared to be 500-600 people who were very hostile to life, parental rights and school choice.  During the hearing, opponents were very rude, disruptive and did not respect the Chairman’s repeated requests to be civil and to not cheer, clap, or otherwise disrupt the forum or another speaker’s time.  Citizens who support life, parental rights, life and school choice need to attend these upcoming hearings and present better, respectful, more persuasive (not to mention truthful) arguments to this historic commission.

UPDATE ON PROPOSAL 22 ON PRIVACY

The privacy amendment, Proposal 22 (see www.FLPrivacy.org), is designed to fix our state constitution’s privacy clause and require the Florida Supreme Court to interpret it in accordance with the original intent of the Legislature (which placed it on the ballot) and the people who adopted it.  Florida’s privacy clause was intended for informational privacy and not for abortion.  Sadly, Proposal 22 died recently in its second CRC committee, the Judicial Committee.  However, if 15 CRC members vote to revive the proposal the matter can still be heard and voted on by the entire commission.

You can watch CRC Commissioner John Stemberger’s argument for Proposal 22 before the CRC Judicial Committee here starting at 1:06:53.

You can read the latest article on the status of the Privacy Proposal by the Orlando Sentinel here.

The bottom line is that the CRC needs to hear from you.  Virtually every speaker on the Left either grossly misrepresented the issues or outright lied about the effect of certain CRC proposals at this last meeting.  The CRC needs to hear from you and your like-minded friends and family members on the below parental consent laws and educational reforms.

We recommend you respectfully encourage the Commission to vote yes on the following proposals:

1)    Proposal 22 – VOTE YES.  Support bringing Proposal 22 to the full body of the CRC to fix Florida’s privacy clause to allow the Legislature to enact laws that would require parental consent before a minor girl undergoes an abortion surgery.

2)    Proposal 4  – VOTE YES.  Repeal the anti-Catholic motivated Blaine Amendment (no-aid) provision in Florida’s Constitution.  Repealing this provision would prevent religious discrimination and allow educational vouchers to be issued so that parents can use their own tax dollars to direct the education of their children to the school of their choice—whether a public, private, charter or home school.

3)    Proposal 45 – VOTE YES.  Specifies that no provision of the state constitution may be construed to limit the Legislature from making provision for other educational services that are beneficial to Florida’s children and families.

4)    Proposal 71 – YOTE YES.  Allows the Legislature to establish charter schools without the courts striking down the laws for various reasons.

5)    Proposal 43  –  VOTE YES.  Establishes term limits for school board members so that they cannot serve for more than two four-year terms (totaling eight years of service).

For an in-depth review of all 37 proposals currently before the CRC, download this PDF.

Public participation guidelines for the CRC hearings have just been issued and can be downloaded here.

Locations and times of upcoming CRC public hearings

MELBOURNE

Monday, February 19, 2018 
1:00-7:00 PM EST
Eastern Florida State College
Maxwell C. King Center
3865 North Wickham Road
Melbourne, FL 32935

JACKSONVILLE

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 
1:00-7:00 PM EST
University of North Florida
Herbert University Center
12000 Alumni Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224

PENSACOLA

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 
1:00-7:00 PM CST
University of West Florida
Conference Center & Ballroom
11000 University Parkway, Building 22
Pensacola, FL 32514

CAPE CORAL

Monday, March 05, 2018 
1:00-7:00 PM EST
The Westin
5951 Silver King Boulevard
Cape Coral, FL 33914

ST. PETERSBURG

Tuesday, March 13, 2018 
1:00-7:00 PM EST
University of South Florida – St. Petersburg
University Student Center
200 6th Ave S
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

The post Critical Update on Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission (CRC): Upcoming Hearings in Melbourne, Jacksonville, Pensacola Cape Coral & St. Petersburg appeared first on Florida Family Action.

CRITICAL FACTS YOU NEED KNOW ABOUT AMENDMENT 2 “MEDICAL MARIJUANA”

We agree there is a real need to help people suffering with debilitating medical conditions and to alleviate pain. However, the goal of Amendment 2 is not to help the sick, but to create a constitutional right to grow, sell, and consume pot. 

Pot Candy: Medicine? (30 sec)	More Pot Shops than McDonalds, Starbucks, & 7-Elevens Combined (60 sec)

Amendment 2 claims to be about legalizing just medical marijuana, but its wording amounts to the de-facto legalization of pot in Florida. 

Prominent and well-respected groups such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Epilepsy Society, Florida Medical Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Baptist Convention, Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Christian Family Coalition and Florida Family Action, among others are publicly opposing Amendment 2. Elected officials (both Republican and Democrat) have also urged a no vote on 2. And at least five former Florida Supreme Court Justices oppose Amendment 2.

Amendment 2 is bad policy for Florida. Here are five critical reasons why we believe you should VOTE NO on Amendment 2:

1. FLORIDA ALREADY HAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Florida Legislature already legalized medical marijuana. In fact, TWO different laws are actively in effect today. In 2014, Florida passed “Charlotte’s Web” allowing the use of low-THC (non-euphoric) marijuana by those suffering from cancer, seizures or severe muscle spasms and for whom no other treatment has proven effective.

In 2015, Florida’s “Right to Try Act” was amended to include medical marijuana, allowing patients with terminal conditions to access the drug without FDA approval. We recognize the real need to help people suffering with debilitating medical conditions and to alleviate pain. We believe these two EXISTING laws properly provide for these situations and that Amendment 2 is completely unnecessary.

2. FLORIDA DOES NOT NEED 2,000 POT SHOPS
If this amendment passes, within the first year approximately 2,000 “pot shops” will spring up around the state (according to estimates from Florida’s Department of Health.) This is twice the number of McDonald’s restaurants in the state of Florida.

3. ALLOWING THE SALE OF UNSAFE “EDIBLES” PUTS CHILDREN AT RISK
Amendment 2 legalizes marijuana foods (edible products laced with marijuana) which will include cookies, candies, and “pot-tarts.” These are obviously enticing to children, and in “medical” marijuana states like California, children are being rushed to the ER after unknowingly consuming marijuana in the form of candy.

States where medical marijuana is legal have been shown to have higher rates of calls to poison-control centers and ER visits by children under 9 years of age for unintentional marijuana exposure. Edible products have also caused deaths in Colorado.

4. AMENDMENT 2 WOULD PROHIBIT REGULATION OF THE POT INDUSTRY
Amendment 2 ties the hands of our elected representatives to respond to its inevitable unintended consequences. Because it grants a fundamental “constitutional right” to sell, purchase and consume marijuana, the Florida Legislature and other state regulatory bodies would be unable to pass common-sense legislation to correct problems with the amendment’s outcomes. Instead, another constitutional amendment will be necessary, a very lengthy and costly process.

This is not an issue appropriate for a Constitution, a document intended for fundamental rights and the structure of government. Florida has an unfortunate history of placing policy issues in our state Constitution – like fish net bans, pregnant pig regulations and others. The bottom line is this: drugs should not be permanently enshrined in Florida’s Constitution.

 5. INCREASED POTENCY LEVELS MEAN INCREASED HEALTH RISKS
Marijuana would not be dispensed at pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription. Instead, it would be sold by what the marijuana industry refers to as “budtenders,” with NO medical training or clinical experience required.

Further, Amendment 2 does not regulate the strength or potency of the marijuana being used. In Colorado, THC levels have increased from around 15% to more than 20%, and levels in extracted hashish or concentrates can reportedly reach 90%. There have been increased public safety incidences and the CDC warns of the “potential danger.” There is no standard amount, quality or limit to the pot that may be contained in an edible. As in other states, the wide range of marijuana products available and their increased potency would have serious public health implications for Florida.

A printable version of our “Five Critical Reasons to VOTE NO on Amendment 2” and other free voter guide resources (Candidates, Amendments, Judges, Local Races) are available at FloridaElectionCentral.com. 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!  If our voter guide resources have been helpful to you, your family and your church please consider supporting this important effort with a gift here.

The post Facts you need to know about the medical marijuana Amendment 2. Must see video. Early voting starts today. appeared first on Florida Family Action.