With the new session of Congress opening, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns is a busy man, filing 11 bills in the opening two days. The American people have diverse needs and these measures reflect many of the major issues they face, said Stearns on Thursday. These are proposals that I offered in the last Congress, some of which were approved by the House, and I hope that all of them will proceed to enactment. It is an honor to represent the people of the 6th Congressional District and to offer these measures on their behalf.

The U.S. House members voted to trim their own office budgets by 5 percent on Thursday and Florida Republicans are insisting it is a good start to controlling federal spending.

As new Gov. Rick Scott mulls over high-speed rail's cost versus public benefit, he's unlikely to miss a new Reason Foundation study and accompanying research on the proposed Tampa to Orlando project. According to the report, if the high-speed rail line goes over budget or fails to meet ridership expectations, Florida taxpayers could get stuck with a bill of up to $3 billion.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC) -- which labels itself the caucus of House conservatives -- has 70 new members from the Republican congressional freshmen. Five of the seven new Republicans from Florida have joined: U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams, U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent, U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, U.S. Rep. Dan Webster and U.S. Rep. Allen West. U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross and U.S. Rep. David Rivera have not joined the RSC.

Gov. Rick Scott has named Kurt Browning to serve as Floridas secretary of state -- a post he held under former Gov. Charlie Crist. Scott praised Brownings experience handling election issues. Browning served more than two decades as supervisor of elections in Pasco County.

Gov. Rick Scott announced that Michelle Rhee, who was on his transition team and served as chancellor of public schools in the Washington, D.C., area, will continue as an adviser on education.

Freshman U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, who entered Congress on Wednesday as part of the new Republican majority, weighed in on his new role and pledged to fight for conservative ideals. It is a great honor to serve the citizens of the 2nd Congressional District, and I take my responsibility seriously, said Southerland. Todays swearing in ceremony represents the turning of the page to a new era.For too long Washington has not reflected the values of, or faced the same challenges experienced by, communities across America.

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott told the Department of Management Services to sell the states two airplanes -- a 2000 King Air 350 and a 2003 Cessna Citation Bravo. This move will reduce the budget by $2.4 million annually. The privilege of using a state-owned aircraft is an unnecessary burden to taxpayers, especially when lower-cost travel options exist, said Scott. As elected officials it is our responsibility to utilize the most affordable options for official business, and I do not believe state-owned airplanes are the best option.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid & Co. have been telling House Republicans to forget about trying to repeal the federal health-care law, saying that effort will die in the Democratic Senate. Boehner, to his credit, isn't backing down. Here was his written response to Reid and Senate Democratic leaders: "Senators Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Murray and Stabenow:

U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is back in Washington -- and looking forward to being part of the new Republican majority. Serving the people of Floridas 16th district for a second term is a great honor, said Rooney on Wednesday. I am humbled by this opportunity to help lead our nation during difficult times.

The umpire strikes back -- and no, this has nothing to do with Roberto Alomar, who once spat on an umpire, being named to the hall of fame on Wednesday. Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, whose passion for umpiring in baseball was featured in a campaign ad he ran in 2010, filed a measure to deregulate health care in the state, amending the Health Care Licensing Procedures Act and streamlining parts of the Agency for Health Care Administration.

With their caucus taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, Florida Republicans in Congress stressed that they would work hard to help push a conservative fiscal program.

Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, weighed in on Wednesday afternoon, praising Gov. Rick Scott for making state agencies use the E-Verify system, checking the immigration status of potential employees.

Marco Rubio was sworn in as a U.S. senator at 12:32 p.m. Wednesday. Read Lane Wright's complete story from Washington, D.C.