Senator’s Background, Past, and Current Political Involvement
Born in Tampa in 1966, Kelli Stargel is a Republican member of the Florida State Senate. Her history of political involvement has deep roots in the family background, as her great-grandfather, grandfather, and husband were all engaged in politics and legislation, serving as house representatives, sheriffs, and judges. Stargel herself started a political career from Florida House of Representatives in 2008, when she won general elections against Democratic candidates, holding the post for two consecutive terms (“Senator Kelli Stargel,” n.d.). Later, in 2012, Stargel refused to seek re-election as a house representative, choosing to run for the Florida State Senate in the fifteenth district. In 2016, the woman’s district was changed from fifteenth to twenty-second due to court-ordered restricting. The same year, according to “Senator Kelli Stargel” (n.d.), she was chosen to serve as the deputy majority (Republican) leader for two years. With the official’s first six-year term in Senate coming to an end, little is known about her further political plans.
Apart from the aforementioned political involvement, Stargel served on the Commission on Marriage and Family Support Initiatives, Education Commission of the States, and Enterprise Florida Board of Directors. Furthermore, in 2018, the woman was chosen a Chair of Public Service Commission Nominating Council. Currently, Stargel cooperates with several committees in Senate, including Appropriations, Education, Ethics and Elections, Judiciary, Rules, Finance and Tax, and others (“Senator Kelli Stargel,” n.d.). Though little information is available regarding the constituent groups, the senator’s official social media profile features her affiliation with the Republican Woman’s Club of Lakeland and Heritage Baptist Church. In her work, Stargel pays much attention to women in crisis, mentally challenged, and chronically ill patients, regularly meeting with these groups of people to provide support and assistance.
Senator’s Judicial Interests
The legislator’s policy agenda is currently focused around three key elements, as follows. As mentioned in “Where does Kelli Stargel stand” (n.d.), the first area of Stargel’s judicial interest is small businesses, as she fights for fewer regulations, lower taxes, and expanded sales tax holidays. The second sphere is devoted to the improved education for all ages. The senator’s most heated issues are pay raises for teachers, stipends for scholars, and funding for early childhood development program. The last major point on Stargel’s policy agenda is supporting the veterans, and first responders through pay raise and coverage for on-the-job injuries (“Where does Kelli Stargel stand,” n.d.). Nevertheless, the scope of the senator’s political activity is not limited to the three aforementioned spheres, as she actively contributes to the development of all the affiliated committees.
Mock Interview Questions and Answers
Interviewer: Senator Stargel, what is your personal attitude to the medical malpractice? While the quality of healthcare in the US supposedly grows, such instances continue to happen. Why?
Senator: I believe that it is narrow-minded to dismiss incidents of medical malpractice for the perceived improvement of healthcare quality in the US. When professionals deviate from standards in their professions, causing injury to patients, the state needs to be accountable to the extent of the Medicaid coverage.
Interviewer: Building on what you said, is it the state’s responsibility to reimburse the claimant for a wrongful death claim as a result of negligence?
Senator: According to the bill “SB 80: Medical Malpractice” (n.d.), the state is not accountable for the negligence of healthcare professionals. However, from my perspective, the government should press Medicaid to cover more costs related to claimant’s medical services.
Interviewer: What evidence should be provided to the court to prove the incidence of medical malpractice?
Senator: Unfortunately, the majority of cases for medical malpractice brought to the court fail to satisfy the legal requirements of doctor’s negligence for the absence of one or more necessary constituents. Personally, I attempt to defend the patient’s rights in the process; thus, advise to establish a clear presence of the following factors. First, there should exist a clear relationship between a doctor and a patient. Second, the doctor’s negligence must be manifested in one or more of these three ways: failure to diagnose, improper treatment, and lack of instructions about further complications.
Critical Insights, Analysis, Reflection
The practice of investigating the personal and political background of the senator before creating mock interview questions proved effective in terms of predicting Stargel’s values and attitudes toward the proposed legislation. Studying her policy agenda, judicial interests, and previous leadership involvement helped to predict the answers to the questions, including a moral component. Before completing this assignment, I paid little attention to the way political affiliation (party membership) may shape the official’s outlook on certain legal issues. It was also surprising to discover that Stargel’s views on medical negligence are not consistent with those of Republicans. Despite working in the committee, where the bill was first introduced for the legislation, the senator holds opposite beliefs regarding medical malpractice, taking a stand for the patients rather than healthcare insurers. Therefore, one of the main insights from this assignment for me is a sense of detachment of the politician’s personal attitudes from the core values of the political party.
References
Senator Kelli Stargel. (n.d.).
SB 80: Medical Malpractice. (n.d.).
Where does Kelli Stargel stand? (n.d.). Web.