Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney doubled down his bets on Florida Republicans as Free and Strong America PAC, a leadership group with ties to the former and almost certainly future candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, supported incumbents in Congress. There are many important issues facing Congress and the nation, said Romney. By showing our support for Republican candidates who are fighting for conservative principles in Washington, we hope to influence the national debate on jobs, taxes, the economy and the budget.

NASA will give 150 of its Twitter followers an insider's look at the nation's space program and the opportunity to view a space shuttle launch in person. The fourth shuttle launch Tweetup, scheduled April 18-19, will be held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA explains:

Signs are growing that Senate Republican leaders already have gone squishy soft on immigration legislation. Just three days into the session, a bill that would give in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens was scheduled for a Judiciary Committee hearing on March 14. This clone of the failed federal DREAM Act is sponsored by Sen. Gary Siplin. Its House mate, HB 55, is being carried by Reps. Dwight Bullard and Hazelle Rogers. All are Democrats. Meantime, an E-Verify bill by Republican Sen. Alan Hays has yet to receive a Senate committee date.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent filed his first piece of legislation on Wednesday, a measure allowing members of Congress to opt out of their pension system. When I was filing all of the employment paperwork prior to being sworn in as a congressman, I was shocked to learn that I was not permitted to decline the congressional pension, said Nugent. I was able to decline federally funded health insurance, but not the pension.Apparently, under current law, I am required to take it whether I like it or not.

Senate Bill 138, a measure that would give a break to veterans convicted of crimes that stem from their military combat, breezed through the Criminal Justice Committee Wednesday. Sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, the bill specifically names post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and psychological problems as reasons for granting a hearing on the underlying health issue before sentencing. It would also provide that veterans convicted because of these causes may be placed in treatment programs rather than be sentenced to probation or community service.

On Wednesday, the House Civil Justice Subcommittee pushed judicial reforms that Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, announced earlier in the week, including raising the threshold retention rate for appellate judges to 60 percent of the popular vote and opening more of the reports of the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) to public scrutiny. The committee also held a workshop onCannons proposal to split the current Supreme Court into two bodies, one focusing on criminal matters with the other tackling civil concerns.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, a chief supporter of the state's prescription-drug monitoring program, lashed out Wednesday at a bill proposed in the state House that would get rid of the database. Rep. Robert Schenk, R-Spring Hill, wants to get rid of the state's prescription-drug monitoring program, backing Gov. Rick Scott's stance that the database is an invasion of privacy. His bill won't be unveiled until Thursday, but Fasano already doesn't like it.

The Florida Senate is poised to vote on a bill later this week that would tie teacher pay to student performance, following an extensive debate on the Senate floor Wednesday over the bill's funding and the nature of teacher contracts.

Rick Scott rose to political prominence by opposing the health-care law backed by President Barack Obama, so it comes as no surprise that he cheered the Florida Senate passing a measure opposing it. Scott praised Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, for voting for a measure to ensure Floridians would not be penalized if they opted out of the new law.

The Purdue pharmaceutical company announced Wednesday that it would give $1 million to help start up Florida's prescription drug database, designed to help doctors know what prescriptions their patients are taking in an effort to crack down on "doctor shopping."

Florida TaxWatch unveiled a new study on Wednesday entitled State Competitiveness Indices & Rankings: What National Rankings Tell Us about Florida's Competitiveness.

The Florida Senate unanimously voted to reprimand its leader, Senate President Mike Haridopolos, for failing to properly file financial disclosure documents from 2004 to 2008. The Senate Rules Committee previously accepted the finding of the Commission on Ethics that his violation was inadvertent. The measure sparked some debate over whether the public reprimand of Haridopolos was too harsh for an unintentional violation.

With protesters gathered in Tallahassee, opposing the plan to reduce unemployment compensation from 26 weeks to 20 weeks and down to 12 weeks if the unemployment rate drops below 5 percent, the House will debate the matter on Thursday. The chairman of the House Rules and Calendar Committee, Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral, set the stage for the debate, announcing that each side will be given 30 minutes to debate the matter on Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, praised the Senate for voting against the federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama.

A new poll conducted by a conservative research group found a plurality of registered voters holds an unfavorable view of government employee unions, and half believe that public-sector unions hurt the country. "Voters split 35 percent favorable and 40 percent unfavorable on government employee unions, but the overall number masks sharp partisan differences," the Resurgent Republic survey reported Wednesday.