State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC)

MISSION STATEMENT

The Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and to improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale participates in the Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) that represents 22 leagues and over 11,000 women across the state. Delegates serve as a liaison between our membership and our elected officials by advocating on state and national issues that affect our legacies, priority issue areas, and communities. We support legislation identified as being critical to the work of the JLGFTL, our community partners, and the lives of Florida women, children and families. The SPAC delegates monitor legislation, engage with officials on the community impact of legislation, and train our fellow members on the legislative process.

Each Florida Junior League that chooses to participate in the advocacy process sends delegates to state meetings and conferences throughout the year to research and debate the issues of the day, and then:

1.     Advocate for specific legislation at the state and national levels that is relevant to our key issue areas
2.     Educate our member Leagues about advocacy and public policy
3.     Coordinate the exchange of information from community-based League projects to policymakers

SPAC PRIORITY ISSUES

SPAC’s current priority issues include improved education, at-risk youth, community safety and health and hunger. Recent legislative reform of these priority areas are:

Allows unaccompanied youth to consent to medical, dental, psychological, substance abuse, surgical diagnosis and treatment for themselves and their children.
Limits the liability of public schools in donating canned/perishable food to charities/non-profits.
Prevents an estimated 10,000 children from falling victim to identity theft each year. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam recognizing the Junior Leagues of Florida’s efforts to pass this important legislation.
Raises the age requirement for children to be buckled in an appropriate safety seat, thereby significantly reducing the severity of injuries inflicted on children in auto accidents.
Helps victims of human trafficking.
Creates more restrictions and increased penalties for sexual offenders and traffickers.
In recent years, we have also supported aging out of foster care reform, the eradication of food deserts to help decrease family homelessness and hunger, legislation on cybercrimes related to sexual images of children sent electronically, and many more issues.

SPAC POSITION STATEMENTS

IMPROVED EDUCATION

The Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee recognizes that quality education is essential if our state’s students are to become productive members of our global society. We are committed to excellence, equality of access, and safety in our schools.

AT-RISK YOUTH

The Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee is committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the stability and quality of life for all of Florida’s youth. We will work to ensure that children and youth have the opportunities and services essential for their physical, intellectual, and emotional growth, as well as their economic wellbeing.

HEALTH AND HUNGER

The Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee is committed to advocating for better access to quality healthcare and to awareness and prevention programs to improve the mental and physical health of the people of our state. We also work to increase access to plentiful, fresh, healthy food for all Floridians, so that no child goes hungry.

COMMUNITY SAFETY

The Junior Leagues of Florida State Public Affairs Committee is committed to keeping the people of our state safe. From finding solutions to the increase in violence to advocating for the wellbeing of children and youth, we support programs, policies, and educational initiatives that reduce and prevent incidences of harm. We advocate for the safety of children and youth, from requiring children to ride in automobile booster seats to the prevention of youth identity theft to protecting children from traffickers and sexual offenders. We also work to ensure the effective, equitable, and timely delivery of justice for offenders.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

SPAC DELEGATE	Simone Rodriguez	spacdelegate@juniorleagueftl.org
SPAC ASSISTANT DELEGATE	Tina Ashley	spac2@juniorleagueftl.org

BLOG

Coming Soon. The SPAC Committee will be providing a weekly recap of the 2023 session.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

STATE GOVERNMENT	VOTING
State of Florida	League of Women Voters - Florida
Governor's Office	Florida Division of Elections
Florida Senate
Florida House of Representatives
Office of the Attorney General of Florida

JUNIOR LEAGUES OF FLORIDA SPAC
PRIORITY AREA RESOURCES
Children's Education & Well-Being
	The Childrens Campaign	The Children's Movement of Florida
Childhood Obesity
	Florida Department of Health	ROCK Reduce Obesity in Central Florida Kids
Foster Care & Teen Homelessness
	Florida Department of Children & Families
Human Trafficking
	National Human Trafficking Resource Center (888) 373-7888 -- Text BeFree to 233733	Department of Homeland Security - Human Trafficking
	Department of Homeland Security - ICE	Federal Bureau of Investigation
	Polaris Project	Shared Hope International
	Department of Health & Human Services	Salvation Army Initiative Against Sex Trafficking
	National Center for Missing & Exploited Children	Florida Coalition Against Trafficking
	The Alliance to End Slavery & Trafficking	Blue Heart Campaign

Hunger
	Florida Association of Food Banks	Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services