2020 “People First” Report Card for Florida Lawmakers Released

Progress Florida today unveiled its 2020 “People First” Report Card grading lawmakers on many of the most prominent floor votes cast during the 2020 legislative session. The grades took into account votes across a wide spectrum of issues, giving Floridians a valuable tool for discerning if their representatives in Tallahassee are fighting to put people first, or powerful special interests.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2020

Contact: Damien Filer / 850-212-1858 / Damien@ProgressFlorida.org

TALLAHASSEE – Progress Florida today unveiled its 2020 “People First” Report Card grading lawmakers on many of the most prominent floor votes cast during the 2020 legislative session. The grades took into account votes across a wide spectrum of issues, giving Floridians a valuable tool for discerning if their representatives in Tallahassee are fighting to put people first, or powerful special interests.

The “People First” Report Card grades every state legislator on key floor votes cast in their respective chambers – 21 votes in the House and 14 in the Senate. To achieve an A, lawmakers had to consistently vote to put “People First.”

“With Florida battling a health and financial crisis it’s more important than ever to know how our legislators are voting on major issues that impact our lives,” said Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo. “The ‘People First’ Report Card provides a great tool for making that assessment.”

Among the high-profile votes factored into lawmaker grades were the anti-voter initiative bills to silence Florida voters, including SB 1794; the forced parental consent for abortion bill (SB 404); the legislative attack on Florida workers (HB 1/SB 804); eliminating protections for rural and natural lands (SB 410); and diverting more tax dollars to unaccountable voucher schools (CS/HB 7067/SB 1220), among many others. The complete list of bills scored can be found at www.FloridaReportCard.com.

The number of Florida lawmakers earning a “People’s Champion” award more than doubled over last year, when 13 lawmakers distinguished themselves with 100% scores. “It’s great to see so many more legislators putting ‘People First’ with their votes,” said Ferrulo. “We are proud to recognize these 27 lawmakers who fought for Florida families with every major vote cast this past session.”

“We’ve all heard politicians make the case they are working on behalf of everyday Floridians, but this scorecard shows which ones are actually getting it done with their votes,” said Ferrulo.

The interactive 2020 Progress Florida “People First” Report Card can be viewed at www.FloridaReportCard.com.

Listed below are the 13 state senators and 14 state house members who earned a “People’s Champion” Award for their 100% voting records.

Florida House and Senate Members Earning an “A” on the “People First” Report Card