LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK

Barbara Sharief, member, Broward County Commission On Monday we will celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his outstanding sacrifice to humanity. His vision for freedom and equality is woven into the fabric of our great nation. We undoubtedly understand the power of a dream and the commitment to public service. Through unwavering acts of courage, all Americans can experience life without racial discrimination and oppression. I encourage you to participate in the various MLK events happening throughout Broward County. I too will be participating in my cities (District 8) events as well.

Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, president, Children’s Services Council of Broward County Watching the musical Hamilton, I was struck, among other things, by the courage and struggles of our Founders in defining this grand experiment known as the United States. Accommodating the diversity of visions needed to move forward was a mighty task. By listening, finding points of agreement and respecting, even if not liking, each other, they succeeded in laying the foundation of the promise of a “more perfect union” in which all of us can thrive. As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Monday it is a good time to examine how we are living up to those ideals.

Frank Ortis, mayor, Pembroke Pines If you’ve ever sat for jury duty, then you know that it is a learning experience like no other. That’s why I’m a bit torn by a proposal filed for the 2019 Florida legislative session that would excuse many full-time students in Florida from serving on juries. The measure would allow people to request being excused from jury duty if they are 21 or younger and enrolled as full-time students in high schools, state colleges, state universities or private post-secondary institutions. Now the age is 18. I understand that classes may be hard to miss, but jury experience is also.

Michael Ryan, mayor, Sunrise Florida’s State Board of Education reported critical shortages of certified teachers in eight areas including science, English, and mathematics. The shortage of certified teachers means some are perhaps teaching outside their area of expertise. Teaching is tough and has gotten tougher. If those entering college aren’t dreaming of becoming a teacher in high demand areas of learning, shortages will exist. If we are not supporting teachers with good salaries and the tools to teach, not from their own pockets, teachers will leave. What we do or don’t do for education and our hero teachers impacts every city and neighborhood.

Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. The U.S. Census is conducted every ten years. It is the opportunity to document shifts in population primarily impacting federal funding, made available for each state and more importantly determining each state’s number of seats in Congress. Census figures should be utilized to most accurately reflect the number of residents of our nation, not be utilized for any political purposes by requiring statement of citizenship.

Richard Stark, member, Florida House of Representatives The evidence of abuses by the Maduro regime in Venezuela is mounting. My colleague, Sen Annette Taddeo and I, are urging the U.S. Congress and president to no longer recognize Nicolas Maduro as president of Venezuela, and to follow this action already taken by the Organization of American States, Brazil, Canada and others. Aside from illegally assuming more time in office, policies by the Maduro government have completely destabilized the economy and ability of most citizens to be able to even purchase food supplies. The free flow of oil is also impeded, and there are reports of the Maduro regime working with terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Nan Rich, member, Broward County Commission A federal judge has ruled that the Trump Administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was entirely disingenuous and constituted an “egregious” violation of federal law. Although Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross claimed the citizenship question was necessary to enforce the Voting Rights Act and inserted at DOJ’s request, Judge Furman did not mince words in stating that Ross grossly mislead Congress and the public regarding the damaging question. The Census is held to count people, not citizens! When this case comes before the Supreme Court, the rule of law must be held above mere partisan politics.

Ted Deutch, member, U.S. House of Representatives The American people elected a strong pro-reproductive health majority to the House of Representatives. With this mandate, we’ll begin pushing back on efforts by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans to rollback women’s healthcare access. I’ve seen these efforts in the Judiciary Committee, where Republicans have repeatedly tried to chip away at Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing women’s right to make decisions about their own bodies. I’ll lead the Judiciary Task Force of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus to fight against these threats.