Incoming Fla. House Speaker picks executive-legislative fight over health care

[Sandra]

Incoming Fla. House Speaker picks executive-legislative fight over health care

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 7:02 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010

TALLAHASSEE — Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon sent Gov. Charlie Crist a letter Tuesday telling him to back off implementation of the federal health care law unless state
lawmakers give him the go-ahead.

Cannon, R-Orlando, accused Crist of "commandeering of state insurance regulatory resources" by allowing executive agencies to begin implementing the federal law even as State
Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican, is challenging the law in
federal court.

Cannon was especially critical of the Office of Insurance Regulation, which is overseen by Crist and the Florida Cabinet, because it has started developing data systems necessary to
enforce the law.

Both Crist's and OIR Commissioner Kevin McCarty's offices said they were reviewing Cannon's letter.

Cannon's letter gave Crist until Nov. 15 to provide him an accounting of all state agencies' activities related to implementing the law and said
Crist will need the legislature's approval before taking any further
action.

Kevin Wagner, a Florida Atlantic University political science professor, said Crist and the Cabinet as the executive branch of government are under no obligation to obey Cannon's legislative orders.

"It is a little bit of overreaching on his part," Wagner said of Cannon. "But it's good politics."

He said it was a political jab at Crist, an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate, two weeks before the election.

"The health care bill is relatively unpopular. It's an easy target for Republicans to pin on Charlie Crist," he said.

But Cannon's staff said this is a matter of the state's health care policy and the state constitution names the legislature as the policy making
arm of state government.

It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember.--- Eugene McCarthy

[Trish Richards]

What would you expect. Crist was Obama's favorite republican.

[Sandra]

Yes, I know he was Trish.. We have a lot of work to do over the next several years to get our State under the peoples desires again. I feel if they get in and don't do as they should, then we weed them out until the politicians pay attention.. I expect that to happen to Mike Scott, his running mate is a good ole insider...