Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has joined Washington, D.C., law firm SNR Denton as part of its new "State AG practice." Former Indiana Attorney General Jeff Modisett will join SNR Denton's Los Angeles branch.

Making good on a campaign promise, Gov. Rick Scott signed HB 353 requiring recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to pass a drug screen before receiving benefits.

While there are certainly legitimate needs for public assistance, it is unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction. This new law will encourage personal accountability and will help to prevent the misuse of tax dollars," Scott said.

Gov. Rick Scott has signed HB 1039, which outlaws a synthetic stimulant drug marketed as "bath salts," in Panama City.

Scott signed an executive order in January banning the drug, which was previously sold legally, and the new law inserts the policy in state statutes.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had been pushing for legislation targeting the bath salts, applauded Scott's signature.

Gov. Rick Scott signed the budget Thursday in The Villages, simultaneously announcing $615 million in line item veto budget cuts.

The final budget now comes in at $69.1 billion. Scott said the vetoes would have gone to "special interests" and now the majority of the money will go into pre-K through 12 education.

"There were 3,036 line items in that budget. I know that because I looked at every single one of them," Scott said.

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio released a video statement on Wednesday night where he talked about Medicare -- and why the budget proposal backed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is the only way to preserve it.

Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, now in a crowded and competitive Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, shrugged off the results of a special congressional election in New York on Tuesday night, inwhich a Democratic candidate picked up aseat from the Republicans,and doubled down his support of federal budgetary reforms backed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday and accused President Barack Obama of violating the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution for not getting congressional authorization for military actions in Libya.

Jose Oliva prevailed in a special election primary held on Tuesday, beating two fellow Republicans in the contest to represent parts of Miami-Dade County in the Florida House. Oliva will be a heavy favorite to beat write-in candidate Antonio Moreno in the June 28 special general election.

A poll released on Wednesday morning by Quinnipiac University found Floridians are souring on Gov. Rick Scott and have a low opinion of the Legislature and the 2011 budget that the governor is expected to sign on Thursday.

A clear majority of those surveyed -- 57 percent -- disapproved of Scotts performance in office, the lowest rating of any governor examined by Quinnipiac, while only 29 percent expressed approval of the governor. In the last Quinnipiac poll released in early April, Scott won the approval of 35 percent and the disapproval of 48 percent.