Comment on 'greased' bill gets House member a reprimand

TALLAHASSEE - A legislator who accused her colleagues of being influenced by campaign contributions has been reprimanded in a letter from the House leadership.

In the letter to Rep. Susan Bucher, D-Royal Palm Beach, Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, and Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, who co-chair the Rules Committee, pointed out that House rules require "civil discourse in connection with debate on substantive matters and of avoiding remarks of a personal nature."

"We regret that you chose not to apologize for inflammatory remarks ... and hope you will reconsider," it states.

Bucher said she was baffled by the letter, coming more than a month after Speaker Johnnie Byrd ordered an investigation into her comments in a Health Care Committee meeting. Bucher said she never spoke to Murman or Ross.

"I've never been notified of anything until this letter. I'm just kind of confused. What was the process?" Bucher said.

Bucher had accused colleagues of shutting down debate on a controversial bill because of campaign contributions. The bill, backed by the Florida Medical Association, would create a new health care professional, anesthesiologist assistant, who would work with licensed physician anesthesiologists during surgery.

The FMA has contributed more than $1-million to legislative campaigns in the past six years.

Among Bucher's comments: "I believe strongly that patients will die. I think this is a bad bill that was financially greased through the system."

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