Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has released his legislative priorities heading into the 119th Congress. He intends to reintroduce bills regarding the economy, American seniors, the SNAP program, foreign policy, human trafficking, and other major issues in the United States.
Sen. Scott also wants to introduce Constitutional amendments regarding term limits and congressional pay raises.
“I’m excited to kick off the 119th Congress by refiling several pieces of legislation that truly protect and prioritize families in Florida and across the world and put their best interests first. This Congress, I’m proud to lead the Sunshine Protection Act to permanently lock the clock, and continue the fight to pass key elements of my plan to Make Washington Work like term limits for members of Congress and the No Budget, No Pay Act," Sen. Scott began.
Moreover, he also shared his anticipation to work with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"As a member of the Budget Committee, I’ll be working tirelessly with President Trump, my colleagues in the House and Senate, and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to end the broken status quo and reckless spending in Washington ... I am honored to serve Florida in the U.S. Senate and I’ll be working every day to make Washington work for YOU.”
His legislative goals can be seen below, courtesy of Sen. Scott's office.
Making Washington Work & Turning America’s Economy Around
- The Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time and eliminate the old, outdated practice of changing the clocks twice a year.
- Constitutional Amendments to provide the President line-item veto power, establish term limits for Members of Congress, and require a supermajority to raise taxes or fees on the American people. This joint resolution proposes constitutional amendments that bring much-needed reform to the federal government, prioritizing return on investment for American tax dollars and ensuring Washington is working in the best interests of American families.
- No Budget, No Pay Act to prohibit Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year. Funding the government is a basic job of Congress, and this bill holds members accountable for meeting appropriations deadlines or forgo their taxpayer-funded salaries until the job is done.
- The Protect Our Seniors Act to preserve and protect Social Security and Medicare benefits for those who depend on these important programs.
- The Homeowners Premium Tax Reduction Act to provide American homeowners an above-the-line tax deduction of up to $10,000 of premiums paid for homeowners’ insurance annually at their primary residence.
- The Let's Get to Work Act to encourage every individual who can work to do so, which will help our nation’s economy thrive. This bill will expand work requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and HUD housing programs, including applying SNAP work requirements to all able-bodied adults under 60 and those with children over 6.
Putting American Interests First & Holding Adversaries Accountable
- The Drones for First Responders Act to put tariffs on the import of Chinese state-subsidized drones and phase-out U.S. dependence on America’s adversary, Communist China, for these essential systems that are vital to our military, first responders, infrastructure, farmers and businesses.
- The Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act to prohibit federal procurement of solar panels manufactured or assembled in China.
- The Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act to authorize the President to use the Armed Forces to defend Taiwan against a direct attack by China's military, a taking of Taiwan's territory by China, or a threat that endangers the lives of civilians in Taiwan or members of Taiwan's military.
- The Defending Domestic Produce Production Act to help Florida fruit and vegetable growers combat Mexico’s unfair trade by establishing a process by which a core seasonal industry may petition for countervailing and antidumping duties.
- The Stopping Adversarial Tariff Evasion Act to enhance enforcement mechanisms against tariff evasion by foreign entities, ensuring that U.S. tariffs are effectively applied and that American manufacturers are not disadvantaged by unfair trade practices.
Securing the U.S. Border & Keeping Communities Safe
- The Extending Limits of United States Customs Waters Act to expand the U.S. customs waters territory to help ensure the U.S. Coast Guard and CBP AMO have the jurisdiction and authority needed to stop drug and human trafficking so that families everywhere remain safe.
- The Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act which ensures extensive vetting by the DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before a vulnerable unaccompanied child is placed with a sponsor. This bill adds stricter requirements for placing unaccompanied alien children with sponsors, including mandatory background checks and home visits for both sponsors and household members. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to retroactively apply these standards to past placements since January 2021.
- The School Guardian Act to create a block grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice supporting the hiring of one or more law enforcement officers to provide full-time security at every K-12 school in the country, including all public, private and religious schools.
Fighting for Freedom and Democracy in Latin America
- The DEMOCRACIA Act to hold the illegitimate communist Cuban regime accountable through severe sanctions and unprecedented financial pressure on foreign persons involved in supporting the Cuban government’s defense sector, human rights abuses, or terrorism. This bill also authorizes the President to use any means possible to provide unrestricted, reliable internet service to the people of Cuba that is not censored or blocked by the Cuban regime.
- The BOLIVAR Act to prohibit executive agencies from contracting with individuals or entities that, in concurrence with the Department of State, are found to engage in significant business operations with Venezuela's Maduro regime.
- The Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials (STOP MADURO) Act to increase the maximum reward amount from $15 million to a maximum of $100 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Nicolás Maduro.
Standing with U.S. Ally Israel
- The Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to prohibit obligating or expending U.S. funds in Gaza unless the President certifies that the funds will not benefit Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, other foreign terrorist organizations, or their members.
Support our American Heroes
- The SCHEDULES Act to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a comprehensive standard for timing between referrals and appointments for care at VA facilities and to submit a report with respect to that standard. This will increase transparency within the VA so veterans have more insight into when their appointments will be scheduled.
- The Veteran’s Accessibility Act to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access within the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The committee will advise the Secretary on enhancing physical, electronic, and informational access, ensuring compliance with federal disability laws, and providing reports to the Secretary, Congress, and the public on accessibility needs and improvements.
