A House Democrat implied that contributions propelled a health care bill, angering Republicans. Johnnie Byrd has asked a panel to look into it.
By LUCY MORGAN
Published March 19, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - House Speaker Johnnie Byrd has ordered an investigation of an outspoken House Democrat who accused the Republican leadership of greasing a health care bill in exchange for campaign contributions.
The comments by Rep. Susan Bucher, D-Royal Palm Beach, in a House Health Care Committee meeting Wednesday prompted Republican lawmakers to complain to Byrd.
Byrd, R-Plant City, said he asked the House Rules Committee to investigate and make a recommendation, which could range from no action to expulsion.
Bucher's comments came as Republican leaders limited debate and pushed for speedy passage of a bill that would create a new health care profession, anesthesiologist assistants, who would work with licensed physician anesthesiologists during surgery.
"It is just amazing what contributions have purchased here today," Bucher said as Committee Chairman Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, pushed the committee to vote after hearing 45 minutes of testimony on the bill. He allowed two minutes for debate.
"I'm not willing to go into the dark and jeopardize my constituents' safety," Bucher added. "I believe strongly that patients will die. ... I think this is a bad bill that was financially greased through the system."
Bucher's comments came just before the House Health Care Committee approved the bill, 15-10. Rep. Shelley Vana, D-Lantana, was the only other member to speak against rushing the bill.
"I am appalled by the lack of respect for the procedure," Vana said as she joined most of the other Democrats in voting against the bill. Six Republicans also voted no.
A similar bill won preliminary approval on the Senate floor Thursday.
Farkas said similar measures have been proposed in the Legislature for three consecutive years. "There was nothing new in the bill; I didn't feel any need to rehash the same issue," Farkas said.
While Farkas said he did not complain to Byrd about Bucher, he said her comments "set a bad precedent for our meetings."
"Debate is one thing; accusations are something else," Farkas added. Still, he said Bucher is one of the best prepared lawmakers for meetings because she reads every bill and amendment.
Bucher was unrepentant Thursday, saying she made the remarks because she is concerned about patient safety.
Bucher, 45, was a longtime legislative aide to Rep. Ed Healey and was elected to fill his seat when he died in March 2000. Last year she accused Republican lawmakers of circumventing state regulations to reward Gary Morse, a Central Florida developer who contributed more than $800,000 to Republican campaigns. Morse won passage of a bill that allowed him to expand a hospital at the Villages, a growing retiree development near Leesburg.
"In this instance, it only cost him $800,000 in campaign contributions to get 180 beds that circumvent the system," Bucher said as the bill was debated on the House floor.
House Democratic Leader Doug Wiles met with Bucher late Thursday to discuss the situation. Several Democrats said Republicans are threatening to punish Bucher by removing her from all committees.
"All of this arises out of a great deal of frustration by legislators," Wiles said. "Democrats are probably the most vocal, but it comes from a procedure that limits public input, limits questions by members and limits good debate, and in some cases bills appear with very little notice."
Rep. Sandy Murman, the Tampa Republican who co-chairs the Rules Committee, said the panel will look at other instances involving Bucher. "This is not an isolated incident," Murman said.
The Florida Medical Association and the state's anesthesiologists support the bill, which is similar to laws already in place in several other states, including Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Other medical professionals oppose the bill, including the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists, who assist anesthesiologists.
The FMA and other health care interests are big donors to Farkas, a St. Petersburg chiropractor, and the Republican Party. In the past six years, the FMA donated more than $1-million to legislative campaigns, including about $458,000 to the GOP and $111,000 to Democrats. The Nurse Anesthetists contributed more than $70,000 to legislative campaigns since 1996.
