While most eyes in Florida politics are on Tallahassee this week as the legislative session opens later on Tuesday, keep an eye on Washington on Wednesday. Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who chairs the U.S. House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, will be examining the FEMA budget for FY 2012 and getting testimony from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

Earlier this week, conservative Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, launched the first in a series of video blogs. Workman, who represents parts of Brevard County and chairs the Space Caucus, won some attention last year for preparing an Arizona-style immigration law. In the video, Workman touched on some of the major issues facing the Legislature.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney applauded President Barack Obama changing course on holding military commissions trying suspected terrorists, but insisted on Monday that the White House did not go far enough in its new decision. While Im pleased that the president has reversed his previous position and will allow military commissions to resume at Guantanamo Bay, Im deeply concerned that his executive order will leave the door open for the administration to hold civilian trials for terrorists like Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Rooney said.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who is considering taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, wrote to Gov. Rick Scott on Monday supporting his fellow Republicans rejection of federal funds set aside for high-speed rail projects.

The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will host a straw poll for the 2012 presidential candidates in Orlando in September. The candidates will engage in debate on Thursday, Sept. 22, which will be televised across the nation on Fox News, before taking part in the Presidency 5 straw poll.

The House Republicans met on Monday to hold a ceremony honoring Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and tabbing him as speaker designate who will wield the Florida House after the 2012 elections. As expected, Weatherford was elected without opposition from the Republican caucus. Speaking from the well of the House, Weatherford praised servant leadership and said he would try to be a servant leader in his time as speaker.

Employees at Florida's Department of Transportation can be grateful they're not working at the Department of Community Affairs. In his opening remarks to the department employees gathered at the DOT's assembly hall in Tallahassee Monday afternoon, Gov. Rick Scott said he's heard great things about the DOT, but not so much at the DCA.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is in Washington, D.C., this week for the National Association of Attorneys General Spring Conference, and will meet with her colleagues from 25 other states that have joined Florida's lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, which a Florida judge recently struck down as unconstitutional. She will also meet with Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway to discuss pill mills and prescription drug abuse, and with Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange on the oil spill claims process.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos is putting his focus on the 2011 regular legislative session, which begins Tuesday, attempting to put behind him the recent furor over his $150,000 book deal with Brevard Community College that produced one copy. He pointed to large, transformative bills that are set to be passed in the Senate this week dealing with opting out of the federal Affordable Care Act, capping state revenues, merit pay for teachers and a tort reform bill. "Look at what we're doing the first week of session," Haridopolos said.

Gov. Rick Scott spoke to the Associated Industries of Florida board meeting Monday in the Senate chambers, stressing the need to invest in port dredging projects around the state to open up Florida for greater trade opportunities. "We should be the shipping capital for the east coast," Scott said.

House Democrats fired back at the plan unveiled by Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, on Monday morning which would create two state Supreme Courts, one for civil matters and one for criminal cases.

U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., speaks out against President Barack Obama's response to two U.S. servicemen being killed during a terror attack in Germany. Courtesy of West Palm Beach's BizPacReview.com.

Talking to the media on Monday, House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, unveiled a number of reforms that will be pushed out of the Judiciary Committee tackling immigration and the courts. Cannon said the proposal would mandate every private company in Florida with more than 100 employees to use E-Verify to check the immigration status of every potential employee starting in 2013.

Confirming suspicions that he will try to derail, or at least dilute, immigration legislation this session, House Speaker Dean Cannon doused his chamber's E-Verify bill on Monday. The Winter Park Republican said the measure will require the public sector to use the federal database to screen new hires, and then phase in usage for private-sector employers. "Employers with 100 or more employees come on line July 1, 2012 -- all others on July 1, 2013," said Cannon spokeswoman Katie Betta.