Tom Feeney Stood Up While Suzanne Kosmas Sat Down

Tom Feeney Stood Up While Suzanne Kosmas Sat Down

By: Sandy Murman, Former Member of Florida House of Representatives

As a leader in family and healthcare issues in Florida, who has served as an elected official with both Tom Feeney and Suzanne Kosmas, I have the unique ability to accurately compare the effectiveness of their leadership and advocacy on behalf of Florida’s women, children and healthcare issues.

As Florida's House Speaker, Tom appointed me to serve as the first-ever female in the prominent and powerful position of Speaker Pro-Tempore. In this capacity, he heavily relied on me to inform and represent him in women’s, families and health care issues. On his behalf, I chaired the first ever Florida Women's Health Summit, in which we examined and recommended changes to improve women’s health care in our state. Also, as his representative, I chaired a statewide task force that recommended changes to our child welfare and protection laws, with the goal of creating the strongest and most protective guidelines possible for our children under state care.

I have personally seen Tom work across both sides of the aisle to support funding for cancer research. He helped create and pass a law that allows mothers to leave their newborns at safe houses rather than abandoning them and endangering their lives. Tom also championed the effort to set reasonable limits on frivolous lawsuits, helping to prevent the disaster that had Florida’s obstetricians ready to close their offices and leave women with few private options for child deliveries. Additionally, Tom co-sponsored legislation for a five year extension on the original Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage for the neediest children. He fought the radical version supported by Democrats that made taxpayers liable to cover medical needs for illegal aliens and middle – upper income families at a billion dollar plus price tag.

Through my personal experience, I believe that Suzanne Kosmas lacks the leadership skills necessary to create or support meaningful legislation on women and family issues. She never served as a chairwoman or a vice-chairwoman in her service in the Florida House, and her inability to reach across the aisle to work with both parties resulted in the prevention of any real progress or substantial legislation in KidCare and Child Care legislation during her service. Suzanne is currently supported by numerous trial attorney groups whose jobs are to file frivolous lawsuits which drive up health care costs and liberals groups that support the extreme left position of partial birth abortion.

While Tom Feeney stood at the podium as our leader in the State House, Suzanne Kosmas sat in the back aisle. But that shouldn’t have stopped her from standing up, speaking up and stepping out on behalf of her constituents and the women and families of our state.

As a woman, a mother, and a leader in Florida’s healthcare and family issues, and an individual that has served with both of the candidates, I highly recommend the voters stand up and choose Tom Feeney because Tom cares about the women in his community.