Rep. Brett Hage enjoyed a special moment Wednesday when one of his bills made it through the Florida House of Representatives and is now headed to the state Senate.
Hage, who represents House District 33 – northern Lake County, Sumter County and southern Marion County – was elected in November and is going through his first House session. So far, 16 bills have been introduced that carry his name. But on Wednesday, Hage saw CS/HB 679 sail through the House on 112-1 vote.
The bill, which now goes to the state Senate, is titled “Legislative Review of Proposed Regulation of Unregulated Functions.” It is designed to tighten the reins on the state’s ability to regulate professions or occupations that aren’t currently regulated. It also requires strict guidelines on increasing regulations on currently regulated professions. And it revises the information that legislative committees must consider when deciding if regulation is justified.
The bill states that no profession or occupation will be subject to regulation by the state unless it’s deemed necessary to “protect the public health, safety, or welfare from significant and discernable harm or damage.” And it says that the state’s “police powers” should be exercised only to the level necessary for that purpose.
CS/HB 679, which Hage filed on Feb. 6, also was sponsored by the Business & Professions Subcommittee and District 32 Rep. Anthony Sabatini, the former Eustis commissioner who represents part of Lake County.
Hage also has 15 other bills at various stages in the legislative process. Eleven are in the “first reading” stage and still have a long way go before possible passage. And four are being considered by committees, which means they could be altered, approved or simply “die” in committee if the chairperson elects not to bring them forward.
One of the most important bills for Villagers that carries Hage’s name is HB 2067, which seeks $7.5 million to complete the widening of County Road 466A between The Villages and the section in Fruitland Park nearest to U.S. Hwy 27/441. That bill went through the Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee and now is in the hands of the Appropriations Committee.
Hage also is sponsoring several other bills that went through first readings on March 5 and could be of interest to Villagers and area residents. Those include:
- HB 2949 – Seeks $45 million for the expansion of the Sumter County Detention Center;
- HB 2485 – Would provide $31.52 million for the Sumter County Multi-Purpose Event Center;
- HB 2265 – Seeks an appropriation of $475,000 to pay for County Road 209 water mains in Wildwood.
- HB 2267 – Asks for $2.9 million for Lake-Sumter State College for deferred maintenance; and
- HB 2489 – Seeks an appropriation of $500,000 for Elevate Lake, which works as a liaison between companies and government in Lake County to create a business-friendly environment and quality jobs for area residents.
Hage is the president of T&D Distribution and also serves as president of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce. He was heavily supported by The Villages Developer and his array of employees and related businesses in his successful bid to replace the late Don Hahnfeldt as the District 33 representative.
T&D, which does extensive concrete work with The Villages Developer, also has two other employees on its political roster. Doug Gilpin is a longtime Sumter County commissioner and Marcos Flores is a Wildwood City commissioner. Both also enjoyed strong support from The Villages Developer in their most recent campaigns as well.
