Newly elected Florida House Speaker Paul Renner has started to set his legislative agenda for the upcoming term.
He also planned a special session for December to address skyrocketing property insurance rates and to provide much-needed relief for victims of Hurricane Ian.
Florida lawmakers to meet in December special sessionhttps://t.co/TEWUX4JPDq
— Diane Hankinson (@DianeHankinson5) November 22, 2022
Renner made it clear that one of his priorities in regular session will be to roll back so-called ‘ESG’ factors used to determine Florida’s credit rating.
ESG, or Environmental and Social Governance factors, are used by state governments and multinational corporations as contributoring factors for where they will invest their money.
“In practice, ESG demands that companies adopt radical environmental and diversity goals and uses a scoring system to reward or punish companies based on their compliance,” Renner said.
Renner said ESG poses a “direct threat” to Florida’s pension fund and credit rating.
The House Speaker @Paul_Renner said ESG poses a “direct threat” to Florida’s pension fund and credit rating https://t.co/qPCn0O6FEK
— Lydia Nusbaum (@LydiaNusbaum) November 25, 2022
Renner said that ESG factors undermine the state’s Democracy and undermine national security by prioritizing a woke agenda over economic strength.
“These radical goals are causing a politically-induced energy crisis, raising prices at the pump and our electric bills. ESG increases our cost of living, undermines our national security, and bypasses the checks and balances of the democratic process,” he explained.
WATCH: New Florida House Speaker @Paul_Renner declares ESG a "direct threat" to Florida's pension fund, credit rating
"It undermines our national security and undermines the checks and balances of the democratic process […] We are not going to let that happen in Florida." pic.twitter.com/1X0ufNVVj0
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) November 22, 2022
During Renner’s acceptance speech, he said that credit rating agencies began requiring the state to provide data to measure compliance with “ESG’s political dogma.”
“ESG scoring will soon become a factor in our state’s credit rating, meaning fiscally irresponsible states like California could receive a better credit rating than Florida simply because they embrace ESG’s political agenda,” He said.
Governor DeSantis has also directed criticism at ESG standards.
Last week, DeSantis said that World Economic Forum policies, including WEF-backed ESG standards, were ‘dead on arrival’ in the state of Florida.
FLORIDA – DeSantis saying what ALL democratic countries should say “The WEF policies are dead on arrival”
The people will decide! Not have their lives decided for them, by elites, NGOs and corporations who want to decide your life for you!pic.twitter.com/rNFx4WeV5c
— Bernie's Tweets (@BernieSpofforth) November 18, 2022
Earlier this year, he said that Florida’s economy would be “better off” if it was not politicized.
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“Do we want our society to be governed by some of the most economically elite and powerful interests in society?” DeSantis asked. “And I think our economy is going to be much better off if everything is not politicized. It used to be it wasn’t a political issue. You didn’t have to take positions on every little thing.”
During his acceptance speech, Renner also said that he would continue to focus on Florida’s education system, fighting back against a woke social agenda in public schools as DeSantis has done since he took office in 2018.
From New Florida Speaker @Paul_Renner's speech accepting his designation as speaker.
Talks about "drag queen story time" and ESG, both of which have been focuses of @GovRonDeSantis and will no doubt be the subject of high profile legislation pic.twitter.com/FSi4ct3i4a
— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) November 22, 2022
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Be sure to read: DeSantis takes on ESG, woke corporations
