Rick Scott Hammers Florida GOP's D'Souza Invite
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Drug testing for welfare recipients[edit]
In June 2011, Scott signed a bill requiring those seeking welfare under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Familiesprogram to submit to drug screenings. Applicants who fail a drug test may name another person to receive benefits for their children.[79]
In an interview with CNN host Don Lemon, Scott said, "Studies show that people that are on welfare are higher users of drugs than people not on welfare" and "the bottom line is, if they're not using drugs, it's not an issue". PolitiFact said this comment was "half true". Government researchers in 1999–2000 reported "that 9.6 percent of people in families receiving some type of government assistance reported recent drug use, compared to 6.8 percent among people in families receiving no government assistance at all."[80]
Preliminary figures from Florida's program showed that 2.5% of applicants tested positive for drugs, with 2% declining to take the test, while the Justice Department estimated that around 6% of Americans use drugs overall.[81] The law was declared unconstitutional, with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upholding that ruling in December 2014.[82]The Scott administration declined to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.
Medicaid expansion[edit]
Scott has taken a number of positions on Medicaid expansion. For much of his first term as governor, Scott was against Medicaid expansion in Florida, saying it was too costly. In 2013, he came out in support of Medicaid expansion, before again opposing it in 2015.[83]
Climate change[edit]
Scott denies the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change, saying "I'm not a scientist".[84][85] The quote or paraphrases thereof became talking points for some Republican political candidates in the 2014 election campaigns.[86] The political blog Daily Kos proposed a new category for Scott, "climate-change mutism", for "those unable to express an opinion."[87][88][89]
When questioned by the press on March 9, 2015 in Hialeah, Florida, Scott did not indicate whether or not he believes global warming is a problem or whether Florida's Department of Environmental Protection has made or is making preparations for its potential consequences.[90][91]
In March 2015, accusations were made that his administration had instructed Department of Environmental Protection officials to avoid the terms "climate change" or "global warming" in any official communications. Scott denied the claims that his administration had banned the terms.[92][93][94][95]
Redistricting amendments[edit]
In the 2010 elections, Florida voters passed constitutional amendments banning gerrymandering of congressional and legislative districts.[96]
In February 2011, Governor Scott withdrew a request to the United States Department of Justice to approve these amendments, which, according to The Miami Herald, might delay the implementation of the redistricting plan because the Voting Rights Act requires preclearance of state laws likely to affect minority representation. Scott said he wanted to make sure that redistricting is carried properly.[97] Several advocacy groups sued Scott in federal court to compel the governor to resubmit the acts to the Justice Department.[98]
Voting rights[edit]
Scott frequently sought to restrict voting rights as Florida Governor, with numerous courts ruling against him in voting rights cases.[117] Scott has signed into law bills that created barriers to registering new voters, limited early voting, ended early voting on the Sunday before Election Day (known as "souls to the polls" in African-American churches), and restricted the ability of ex-felons to restore their voting rights. In 2012, Scott attempted to purge non-citizens from voter rolls just prior to the election; a court stopped Scott from doing so, and it was revealed that legitimate voters were on the voter rolls. The Tampa Bay Times noted that under Scott's tenure, Florida had the longest voting lines of any state in the 2012 election.[117] After harsh criticism, Scott expanded early voting hours, and allowed early voting on the Sunday before Election Day.[117]
In 2016, Scott refused to extend registration deadlines after ordering evacuations due to Hurricane Matthew; courts ultimately extended the deadline. Scott signed legislation into law which rejected mail ballots where signatures on the ballet envelope did not match signatures in files; in 2016 a court struck down the law. In 2014, Scott blocked a request by the city of Gainesville to use a facility at the University of Florida as a site for early voting. In 2013, Scott ordered Pinellas County to close down sites where voters could submit mail ballots. In 2012, a court ruled that Scott could not place heavy fines on groups that registered voters but failed to submit the registrations within 48 hours. In 2018, courts ruled that Scott had to create a new process to restore felons' voting rights.[117]
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He was pressured to resign as chief executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997, amid a controversy over the company's business and Medicare billing practices. During his tenure as chief executive, he oversaw the company while it defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs. The Department of Justice ultimately fined the company in what was at the time the largest health care fraud settlement in US history.[5]