Welcome!

The Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee also known as SPAC, has been the advocacy arm for the 24 Junior Leagues throughout Florida for over 30 years.

The group monitors the state legislative process and addresses issues of political importance to the members of the Junior Leagues throughout Florida. Each member of SPAC sends delegates to meetings and conferences throughout the year to research and debate issues of the day. Currently, there are over 11,000 Junior League members in Florida.

Our Mission

The Junior Leagues are organizations of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

2008-2009 STATE PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

SPAC top 3 State Legislative priorities for 2009

Priority #1: Foster Care

Preserve the funding of effective programs designed to prepare foster and former foster youth to mature into independent adults who contribute to society in a positive manner.

Why?
In 2007, Federal and State funds totaling nearly $27 Million were allocated for Florida's Transitional Independent Living and Road to Independence programs, both of which are designed to prepare foster and former foster youth to mature into independent adults who contribute to society in a positive manner. These programs continue to fall short of meeting the need as former foster youth struggle more than any other population with underemployment, lack of education, unwanted pregnancy, and incarceration as the following numbers tell:

• One in four will be incarcerated within the first two years after they leave the system
• Over one-fifth will become homeless at some time after age 18
• Only 58% obtain a high school degree at age 19 in contrast to the State high school graduation rate of 70%
• Less than 3% earn college degrees by the age of 25
• Approximately 38 percent are employed 12-18 months after leaving foster care
• More than one third suffer emotional disturbances
• Between 40-60% of young women become pregnant within 12 to 18 months after leaving foster care
(Connected by 25 Report, 2005 and Casey Family Programs Report, 2005)

Priority #2: Booster Seats

Support HB 357 by Representative Steinberg and SB 1404 by Senator Altman

Enact legislation that requires a child aged 4-7 years old to be in an age appropriate child restraint system while riding in a passenger car.

Why?

• Children who are appropriately restrained are 28% less likely to die in motor vehicle crashes (The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2006)
• Children using booster seats are 59% less likely to be injured than children using seatbelts alone (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003)
• Children in seatbelts alone are 4 to 5 times more likely to receive head injuries (Pediatrics, 2002)
• Children in seatbelts alone are 3 times more likely to sustain abdominal injuries. (Annals of Surgery 2004)

Priority #3: Girls' Advocacy Project (GAP)

Continue funding the Girls Advocacy Project programs which is a successful direct intervention service programs for girls in Florida's juvenile detention centers.

Why?

• Florida leads the nation in locking up girls
• Girls make up the fastest growing segment of Florida's juvenile justice system
• Girls are sent to lock-up facilities because local intervention and treatment services are unavailable
Girls require gender specific programming because their needs are different than boys and they are more likely to end up involved with the juvenile justice system as a means to escape abusive home environments.

2008-10 Florida State Legislators

www.leg.state.fl.us -the Florida State Legislature official website -provides information about our legislators

http://www.flsenate.gov/data/publications/general/Senate/Administrative/sdir.pdf
Downloadable link to the State Senate Directory

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/htmlcontainer.aspx?DocumentType=House Directory&DisplayTitle=House Directory&FileName=house directory.htm
Downloadable link to the State House Directory

Writing a Letter to your Legislator

Personal letters from constituents can impact a legislator's decision regarding an issue. Personal letters show that you really care about the issue. Mail, Fax or e-mail the letter, but remember if time is short, a fax or email works best.

To make your letter effective:

• Keep it short. Be concise and limit your letter to one or two pages.
• Use the appropriate address and salutation. Use the correct title, address, and salutation, and remember to use spell check after completing your letter.

For Representative:                                          For Senator:
The Honorable John Q. Smith                            The Honorable John Q. Smith
Florida House of Representatives                       Florida State Senate
111 Address                                                    111 Address
Tallahassee, FL 32399                                      Tallahassee, FL 32399
Dear Representative Smith:                              Dear Senator Smith: 

Identify yourself. Let your legislator know that you are a constituent, and a member of the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

Be polite. Like most of us, legislators will respond better to positive communication. Start by recognizing their support on other legislation and/or of the League.

Explain your position. Talk about why the legislation is important to the League and what impact it has. Include the League recommendations in your letter.

Ask for a response. Be clear about what you would like your legislator to do-for example, vote for a piece of legislation, co-sponsor legislation, or offer an amendment-and request a reply to your letter.

Establish yourself as a resource. As a member of the League, let them know they can contact you if they need additional information. You can always contact the SPAC President or Executive committee if they have questions you cannot answer.

Write legibly. Handwritten letters can be as persuasive as typed letters, but your handwriting must be legible. Generally, writing in a professional capacity related to your employment lends credibility. If your letter is part of a letter-writing campaign, a handwritten letter gives the appearance of a grassroots "ordinary citizen" communication, rather than a communication from a "special interest group."

Helpful Public Affairs Links

http://www.jlflspac.org/ - SPAC website link - information about all aspects of SPAC

http://www.dos.state.fl.us/ - Florida Secretary of State Website- information about voter registration, election dates, elected officials and candidates, and poll locations

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voter-registration/voter-reg.shtml - Direct link to information on how to register to vote

www.leg.state.fl.us - Florida State Legislature official website - information about our legislature

http://www.flgov.com/ - Florida Governor Charlie Crist website

www.congress.org -an easy site to identify and contact your elected officials at all levels of government

www.vote-smart.org - Project Vote Smart website - compiles information about candidates and elected officials, including biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and interest group ratings

www.rockthevote.com - Register to vote online

http://www.lwvfla.org/ - Florida's Chapter of the League of Women Voters

www.statehealthfacts.org - Great website for Florida statistics/policy - run by Kaiser - click on Florida and follow links for information