Chamber Breakfast with Rep. Rader

State Representative Kevin Rader spoke at this morning’s West Boca Chamber breakfast. He provided a legislative update on politics and policy in Tallahassee.

Rep. Rader was introduced with a lengthy biography. He is an insurance agent operating out of an office at Palmetto and Powerline, which he described as West Boca.

Rader talked about Medicaid expansion, describing it as for the working poor. It passed in the Senate and had support from the Governor. But it did not pass the house primarily due to opposition from Speaker Weatherford. Rader did not attempt to explain what motivated those opposed to it. For those interested in Weatherford’s thinking, see this article in Forbes.
He then went to give brief descriptions of several laws passed this session, as well as a few that did not pass.
There was a question and discussion about Rader’s bill to create a traffic violation for loud car stereos, which passed the House but failed in the Senate on a close vote. It sounded like a vague standard (clearly audible at 25 feet).
There was also discussion of proposals to accelerate the foreclosure process. And there was a question about why the legislature meets for only two months a year.