THE FLORIDA SENATE COMMITTEES:
Budget - Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1100 Appropriations, Chair
Banking and Insurance
Budget
Budget - Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism,
and Economic Development Appropriations
Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities
Health Regulation
Military Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security
JOINT COMMITTEE:
Administrative Procedures
SENATOR MIKE FASANO
11th District
January 20, 2012
The Honorable Mike Haridopolos
Office of the Senate President
404 South Monroe Street, 409 The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Dear President Haridopolos:
As you know SB 2036 and SB 2038 are recent products of the Senate Rules Committee. These two bills
deal with the privatization of prisons and the legislature’s role in the appropriations related to this
proposal. These bills deal with potential changes to policy of such a magnitude that they should not have
originated in a procedural committee such as the Rules Committee. However, they were and have now
been referred back to that very same committee with no further referrals. Only your office would know
why that decision was made.
In my opinion a subject as complex as prison privatization should have been referred to the substantive
committees that oversee this subject matter (i.e. Criminal Justice, Governmental Oversight and
Accountability and Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations). The Senate has a rich history as a
deliberative body that examines and allows for full vetting of proposed policy changes both major and
minor. I respectfully request that if these bills are acted upon favorably by the Rules Committee on
January 23, 2012 that you pull them back into your office and refer them to at least the three substantive
and appropriations committees I have suggested.
We hold the legislative process to the high standard that it deserves. Your assistance in ensuring that the
process be maintained is vital to the issues contained in these bills as it is to any other bill created by a
Senate committee. I thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.
Your truly,
Mike Fasano
State Senator, District 11
MF/gg
REPLY TO:
8217 Massachusetts Avenue, New Port Richey, Florida 34653-3111 (727) 848-5885
406 Senate Office Building, 404 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1100 (850) 487-5062
Senate’s Website: www.flsenate.gov
MIKE HARIDOPOLOS MICHAEL S. "MIKE" BENNETT
President of the Senate President Pro Tempore