A judge is considering halting the law from going in effect July 1 while a constitutional challenge goes forward. The challenge was filed by the Florida ACLU.
Florida Legislature
Scott’s Veto Pen Hits Flagler’s Top Priority, Sinking $600,000 For Malacompra Drainage
The $600,000 appropriation for the Malacompra drainage project was among the 450 line-items and $461 million he vetoed as he approved a $78.2 billion budget.
Environmentalists Sue Florida Lawmakers Over Amendment 1, Claiming Misuse of Dollars
The suit seeks a court declaration that money from the state’s Land Acquisition Trust Fund, which will handle all the Amendment 1 funding, may not be substituted for general-revenue funds or used to pay for other services and programs.
Lawmakers Again Refuse to Extend KidCare Coverage to Children of Legal Immigrants
The proposal in the Florida Legislature would have eliminated a 5-year waiting period for lawful immigrants to qualify for the subsidized insurance program that serves children from low- and moderate-income families.
$780 Million More for Education in Florida, But a $500 Million Property Tax Increase
The special session’s much-touted tax cut of $427 million is wiped out by a nearly $500 million tax increase to pay for education funding increases.
Florida’s Nature Conservancy Gets It:
It’s About Land Management
Most Florida environmental groups this special session made a lot of noise and spent a lot of money, but came away empty-handed and unhappy. Not The Nature Conservancy.
Gov. Scott Signs $429 Million Tax-Cut Package, Saving Average Floridians a Few Dollars a Year
The tax savings are projected at less than $2 a month for people paying $100 a month for phone or TV services. The package reduces costs on cell-phone bills, cable TV bills, gun club memberships, college textbooks and luxury boat repairs.
ACLU and Women’s Health Center Sue Florida Over 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period
The lawsuit contends that for women — especially low-income women who must arrange for child care, time off work and overnight travel — the law can push them past the time it is legal to have abortions.
The War on Women, Cont’d: Enough with Mandatory Vaginal Exams, Florida
It’s not enough that in 2011 our Legislature passed a draconian law forcing women to schedule, pay for, and look at an ultrasound of their fetus if they choose to exercise their right to an abortion.
Citing “Competition,” Lawmakers Want Hospitals Deregulated. Hospitals Disagree.
The measure would eliminate what is known as the hospital “certificate of need” process in Florida, which requires state review and approval of building new hospitals, replacing hospitals and offering certain complex, costly medical services such as organ transplants.
Senator Blasts “Hypocritical” House Over Rejecting Medicaid Money While Getting Set to Borrow
Disagreements led Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, to label the House as “hypocritical” for rejecting federal Medicaid expansion funding while being willing to issue bonds to pay for environmental projects.
In Breakthrough, Lawmakers Agree on Health Budget and “Significant” Increase for Education
Florida House and the Senate reached tentative agreements Saturday on money to hospitals and providers for the poor, and a $207-per-pupil increase in education funding.
At Least Now They’re Talking: Florida House and Senate Reach Deal on Budget Outline
The agreement was the first tangible sign of progress on a budget during a special session that began Monday, but lawmakers still face days of detailed negotiations to hash out the finer points of a deal.
Opposing “Medicaid in Disguise,” Florida House Set to Kill Senate Health Plan Friday
For all of its new provisions, House Republicans said, the so-called Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, or FHIX, remains Medicaid expansion in disguise.
Senate Approves Health Plan to Resolve Budget Impasse, But House Remains Unmoved
Gov. Rick Scott and House Republican leaders staunchly oppose the legislation, which helped grind budget negotiations to a halt earlier this year and spark a special session currently underway.
Despite Budget Crunch, Cable and Cell Phone Tax Cuts Still Expected in Special Session
Floridians could still get a reduction in their cable-TV and cell-phone bills as part of a new House tax-cut package, though it’ll fall short of the nearly $700 million package projected earlier this year.
Palm Coast Wants Protection From Extortionist Lawsuits Over Public Record Requests
Palm Coast and the Florida League of Cities are seeking a change in law that would protect local governments from opportunistic groups more individuals who sue governments and companies over public record violations.
Proposals: Scrap Hospital Regulatory Process, Give Some Nurses More Power to Prescribe Drugs
House Republicans filed six bills Wednesday that delve into hot-button issues such as getting rid of a regulatory process for new or expanded hospitals and allowing advanced-registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe controlled substances.
Senate Leaders Propose Compromise in Budget Impasse, Gov. Scott and House Reject It
Scott and House Republicans have repeatedly said they have no interest in using Medicaid expansion funds from Obamacare to close a $2.2 billion budget gap and insure more Floridians.
Feds’ $1 Billion Pledge Cuts Florida Health Deficit in Half, Easing Legislative Standoff
If Florida has to instead offset the remaining $1.2 billion deficit for low-income healthcare with tax revenues, that could eat into funding for other priorities, like public education and tax cuts.
Lawmakers Preparing A Disastrous Overhaul of Florida High School Athletics Ahead
Not a high school in the state of Florida sees anything but disaster in proposed legislation that would overhaul the Florida High School Athletic Association, for good reason, argues Nancy Smith.
Online Voter Registration in Florida Is Now Law, Over Resistance By Gov. Scott and Detzner
Florida must now develop an online voter registration system by October 2017, joining 20 other states that already provide the service. Gov. Scott was reluctant to sign the measure into law.
Gov. Scott’s Latest Tactic in Budget Showdown: Threaten a Government Shutdown
In addition to raising the issue of a government shutdown with state departments, Scott appeared to try to preemptively blame the Senate if negotiations drag on past June 30, the end of the current budget year.
Gov. Scott Threatens to Delay Tax Cuts and Education Funding Hike Over Budget Standoff
A roughly $261 per student increase from the current year is at stake, as is a a $690 million tax-cut package, if a health care-fueled budget impasse continues in the Legislature.
Gov. Scott Stacks Hospital Panel Without a Single Hospital Expert in Overt Snub
Scott’s commission is to make recommendations for a special legislative session on health funding scheduled to begin June 1, but it includes beef, housing, real estate, banking and hospitality experts, but no health care executives.
How Health Care Blew Up the 2015 Session
Dramatic miscalculations and eagerness for showdown over health care derailed Florida lawmakers’ plans in the 2015 legislative session–impulses they must guard against if the special session is to go more smoothly.
Legislators Set Special Session For June 1 But $2.2 Billion in Health Aid for Poor at Risk
Florida House and Senate leaders did not put out a list of topics that would be discussed during the special session, leaving room for disagreement over the final “call” that will be issued to lawmakers.
Superintendent Oliva Scraps 28 End-Of-Course Exams in Lower Grades in 1st Step of Broad Testing Revamp
The Flagler district is immediately scrapping 28 end-of-course exams in kindergarten through 3rd grade for science, social studies and special areas, with more eliminations likely for higher grades next year as the district implements a new, more flexible state law.
The Florida Legislature MessedUp. Ten Big Issues At Impasse and Beyond.
Lawmakers will come back sometime in May or June for a special session to negotiate and pass a budget. But with the 60-day regular session formally ending Friday, here is where 10 major issues stand.
Supreme Court Declares House Ploy Unconstitutional as Rep. Gaetz’s Racist Tweet Draws Apologies
The Florida Supreme Court ruling concluded it was too late to reconvene the session, essentially ending it, and the lawsuit that prompted the ruling. Rep. Matt Gaetz described in racist terms the lawsuit filed by Democratic senators that led to the court’s action, though the suit itself was dismissed.
Florida Senate May Seek to Force House Back in Session in Clash’s Latest Escalation
Florida Senate leaders are considering legal action to force the House to return to the Capitol to finish out the work week as the slow-motion collapse of the regular legislative session appeared to near its end Wednesday.
“Instantaneous Death”: House Adjourns 3 Days Early in Huff Over Standoff With Senate
The House’s premature departure wasn’t completely unpredictable given the intensifying acrimony between House and Senate Republican leaders during the past few weeks over a $4 billion budget impasse rooted in a philosophical rupture over health care for poor and uninsured Floridians.
Three Weeks After Winning House Seat From Flagler, Paul Renner Begins Re-Election Bid
The GOP’s Paul Renner, whose house seat represents Flagler County, won election to his first public office exactly three weeks ago, outspending his combined opponents 33-to-1. On Tuesday, he filed for re-election.
Florida House Approves Some Fracking Regulations, But Critics Find Them Shallow
Merely asking oil and gas companies what chemicals they’re injecting during fracking creates the appearance of government scrutiny, critics say, at the expense of the state’s groundwater at a time when lawmakers are looking to implement new water policies.
As Pro-Choice Republicans See It: Abortion Decisions Don’t Belong on a Legislative Agenda
Doctors and patients, not politicians, should determine the course of medical treatment, even when the treatment is abortion, writes Nancy Smith, a card-carrying member of the Republican Majority for Choice.
House and Senate Far Apart on Budget as Health Care For Poor Becomes Bargaining Chip
The Florida House had made a significant concession to the Senate on hospital funding — but said it would only follow through if the upper chamber dropped insistence on using Medicaid expansion dollars to help lower-income Floridians purchase private insurance.
Florida Senate Votes 26-13 For Abortion Waiting period, Sending Bill to Gov. Scott
Lawmakers earlier this week approved adding exceptions for victims of rape, incest, domestic violence or human trafficking to the bill. However, those victims could only get waivers of the 24-hour waiting period if they can produce police reports, restraining orders, medical records or other documentation.
In Tallahassee, Lawmakers’ Power-Tripped Rudeness Toward the Public Is a Daily Cringe
Committee chairmen having to assert their authority ad nauseum, forbidding members of the public from overstaying their welcome at the podium: it’s offensive to people who drive sometimes hundreds of miles to be heard for two or three minutes, writes Nancy Smith.
Florida House Passes 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period, Adding to Increasing Curbs
The 24-year-old sponsor of the measure claims it “empowers” women, while opponents charged that it does the opposite, banning abortions for 24 hours.
Despite Pleading With State For Earlier Start Date, School Board Now Opts Against It
After lobbying the state to let it start school on Aug. 10 instead of Aug. 24, the Flagler school board on Tuesday stuck with the Aug. 24 date even though a new law would have allowed the district to move up the calendar.
Gov. Bizarre: Scott Suing Federal Government Over One Pot of Money Even As He Rejects Another
The lawsuit plays into a heated battle over a Senate plan to use $2.8 billion in Medicaid expansion funding to help lower-income Floridians purchase private health insurance. But the House and Scott — who once favored straight-up Medicaid expansion — oppose that idea.
Online Voter Registration May Get Lawmakers’ Approval, But Scott Administration Is Opposed
Secretary State Ken Detzner, who told the committee he knows what a “train wreck is and they’re not pretty,” expressed unease about having a deadline to implement the program before a plan is in place.
Proposal Allowing Concealed Guns in Schools, Largely Opposed By Flagler Board, Dies
Bills that would lead to guns at schools have traditionally faced an uphill challenge in the Senate, which is more moderate on such issues than the House.
Special Session Ahead for Legislature as Lawmakers Fail To Resolve Budget Clash
Gov. Rick Scott’s administration, federal officials and House and Senate leaders have waged a public war over health dollars, which President Obama’s administration declared Tuesday are tied to an expansion of Medicaid.
Florida Lawmakers Float Measure to Regulate Drones Amid Buzz of Privacy Concerns
The proposals prohibit the use of aerial drones to capture images that could infringe on the privacy of property owners or occupants but also give police some authority to use drones.
As Rideshare Apps Like Uber Build Up Fares, Florida Senate Taps Insurance Requirements
As taxi and limo services call for stricter regulations on growing “transportation network companies,” the Senate has expanded an insurance measure to include a requirement for around-the-clock coverage on the vehicles of app-connected rideshare drivers.
Will Florida Senate Recognize That Every Child Has the Right To Be Loved?
The choice is not whether church-sponsored agencies have a right to practice their religion. Of course they do. The issue is whether they have a right to enforce their beliefs against others when acting as agents of the state. They do not.
Rejoice, Students: There’ll Be Less Testing. But Not Much Less. House Approves Roll-Back.
The bill puts a hold on the use of student test data for school grades, teacher evaluations and student promotion to fourth grade until the new Florida Standards Assessments can be independently validated.
Guess Who’s Rethinking Guns In Schools: Colleen Conklin May Not Oppose Designating Concealed Carriers, But She’s In a Minority
Most Flagler County School Board members, the superintendent and the sheriff say school officers, not individuals carrying concealed weapons, can best address security needs in local schools. A bill making its way through the Legislature would allow school boards to designate employees or volunteers to carry concealed weapons.
Florida House Advances ‘Conscience Protection’ Bill That Discriminates Against Gay Adoptions
Three hours of debate and numerous attempts to diminish the ability of private, religious adoption agencies to deny placement among gay couples failed as the bill now appears headed for approval Thursday.