The 'Milk Party' announces 2011 legislative agenda

David Lawrence is optimistic about the upcoming legislative session.

As president of The Children's Movement of Florida, Lawrence has been meeting with the next leaders of the state to talk about important children's issues.

Since announcing the movement in August, Lawrence has led the "Milk Party" in rallies across the state. On Wednesday, the group announced its legislative agenda which includes a focus on health insurance, special needs children, the pre-kindergarten program, parent skill-building and mentoring.

"What we must do in Florida is reorder our priorities, ensuring that children and families come first," said Lawrence, former Miami Herald publisher. "After meeting with Governor-elect Rick Scott and top lawmakers, I believe they now appreciate the importance of this."

Lawrence proposes that the total cost of the five goals of the movement comes to about $300 million. Florida TaxWatch, a watchdog of Florida's tax dollars, endorses the agenda and calls it "fiscally responsible and in the best interest of all residents."

"We know that not every dollar we spend has an equal return on investment, and that simply throwing more money at education and children's programs — money that the state does not have right now — is not sufficient to improve the lives of our state's children," said Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch.

"Instead, we need to focus on the things we know matter most to fostering healthy, successful children like early childhood health and educational programs that will save taxpayers millions in the long-run."

Lawrence said, "We will be pained if we don't see some progress after this legislative session, but this movement is not a one-year wonder."

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