News Service of Florida has: Five Questions for Bill Galvano

By MARGIE MENZEL
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, June 19, 2015..........Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano has been a top lieutenant to Senate President Andy Gardiner this year, as lawmakers battled about health-care issues and the budget. The Bradenton Republican, who is widely expected to become Senate president in 2018, is known for his pragmatism and calm.

Galvano was elected to the House in 2002 and was re-elected three times. During his last House term, he served as rules chairman and chairman of the Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review. In 2012, he was elected to the Senate, where he represents northern Charlotte County, DeSoto County, Glades County, Hardee County, southern Hillsborough County, and eastern Manatee County.

An attorney, Galvano is a partner at the law firm Grimes Goebel Grimes Hawkins Gladfelter & Galvano of Bradenton.

The News Service of Florida has five questions for Bill Galvano:

Q: We know the health care debate is going to continue. How do you see it unfolding in the Legislature over the new few years?

GALVANO: Well, that issue is not going away any time soon. And in the Senate, we have asked for a joint task force between the House and Senate to address a myriad of health-care issues. The (Low Income Pool) dollars are going to continue to diminish from the federal government. We had a robust debate over the (Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, or FHIX) plan, which involved Medicaid funding. That discussion is going to continue. Until we can come together --- both the House and the Senate with the support of the governor --- and address health care long term, we're going to be having these discussions every time we get together.

But there are solutions out there. We've been able to make progress in the past --- for example, with the managed-care application of Medicaid. I was back in the House when we did the initial pilots under (former) Gov. (Jeb) Bush. And so I know we can get there. We just have to get past the politics and focus on the policy.

(That's going to be hard to do.) It is hard, because health care is such a complex issue. There are so many components to it. Whether you're looking at the insurers, or the providers, the different levels of providers, and some providers wanting to do what other providers want to do. … It's not a world where everyone gets along. There's a give and take. And as legislators, we're often in the middle of that, and we're tasked with trying to find the real answers and to balance the competing interests.

Q: Some environmentalists contend that Amendment 1 wasn't funded properly in this year's budget --- and some are even talking about a lawsuit.

GALVANO: Yes, and you know what? I think those threats are completely unfounded. The reality is, it didn't take Amendment 1 for the Legislature to focus on the environment. We've spent nearly $7 billion on environmental issues over the last two years. We get it. We love our environment. We understand that it's not just about preservation, but if we don't have a healthy, robust environment, we're not going to be the number-one destination in the world like we are today.

So we will continue to focus on it. We've put $55 million this year toward land acquisition. We've put a substantial amount of money toward springs. We have looked at conservation issues, beach renourishment. And we'll continue to do so. So people can say what they want. The Legislature is going to continue along the path it has already been upon, and that's to protect and preserve our environment.

Q: You've said Gov. Rick Scott could modify the Seminole gambling compact, subject to ratification by the Legislature. What's the status of the compact as the special session ends?

GALVANO: Well, the governor can be the point person on the compact. And frankly, the banked-card provision is going to expire very soon, in July, and they have 90 days to remove the cards. And there's an opportunity for the governor to step in and have some discussions with the Seminoles

It still has to be ratified by the Legislature, and that was part of the bill that I did. We had some issues with the way that (former) Gov. (Charlie) Crist had negotiated the compact, and so when we came back, we made sure that the Legislature had a seat at the table and a voice in it.

My advice would be for the governor to engage and start developing some parameters so that when we return in September and move towards our early session in January, that we'll have some work behind us and be able to make some progress with the Seminole tribe.

Q: So it's been an epically difficult session this year. As the Senate majority leader, what's your takeaway?

GALVANO: Well, first of all, I've learned a tremendous amount in this role thus far, and I'm so honored that President Gardiner had the faith in me to ask me to be the majority leader. I think what I've found is that despite the diverse interests of the members of the caucus, there's a lot of unity. The Senate was very unified on many levels. And it wasn't just the majority party. I worked very closely with Leader (Senate Minority Leader Arthenia) Joyner, who's a pleasure to work with, and we were able to get past some of the partisan politics to look towards the big policy issues. Our stance together on the FHIX is a great example of that. But it's been a pleasure. And it's also just of personal value to me to have become closer to the members on an individual basis.

Q: Why do you want to be president of the Senate?

GALVANO: Well, first let me say there's only one Senate president, and that's President Gardiner. And so my focus this session and our last regular session, the committee meetings that I'm following is --- my role as majority leader.

I enjoy working with the members of our caucus, and I enjoy working with the minority caucus. And if I were fortunate enough to go into that role, that's where I would focus: putting my efforts into making sure everyone in the Senate can be as successful as they can possibly be for their constituents back home.

(You look like the unity candidate.) Well, that has been said before, and I was very fortunate coming into the Senate to have early support from the caucus. And I believe in unity. I think that's where you get things done. It's not about us. And the reality is, people back home --- they don't even really understand the inside-baseball politics. What they want to know is: Will I be able to pay my mortgage? Is my tax bill going to be reasonable? Will my kids have access to a quality education? Can I have health care?

Those are the issues that matter. And I try to remind myself of that on a regular basis, that while there's intrigue and inside politics and things of that nature, it's really the big take-home issues that are going to make a difference in people's lives.