The House spent Wednesday afternoon debating SB 736, a measure changing teacher pay based on performance and assessments instead of relying on seniority and tenure. So far, 25 legislators have taken to the floor to debate the bill -- with more to come.

During the 2010 session, Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders Association (FTBA), led a coalition that included leaders from the Associated Industries of Florida and Florida TaxWatch to ensure that the Legislature did not pull money out of the State Transportation Trust Fund (STTF).

Burleson repeated his warning on Wednesday after a House subcommittee looked to tap into the trust fund which, Burleson pointed out, is being kept intact in the budget proposals from Gov. Rick Scott and the Senate.

While the rollout of his presidential exploratory committee flopped, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich turned his focus on Wednesday to rising gas prices -- and pointed the blame at President Barack Obama.

A disturbing pattern has emerged during Barack Obamas first term as president, noted Gingrich in an essay his team released on Wednesday. At the times when our nation most needs presidential leadership, Barack Obama chooses to let others take the lead.

An article out in Politico shows Marco Rubio 'building a national brand.' The freshman senator is making a name for himself as one who sticks to his tea party roots of smaller government and shrinking debt, even if that means opting for a different path than his own Republican Party.

From Politico:

The U.S. House passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday, keeping the federal government funded for three more weeks. While the measure passed with 271 votes, an increasing number of Republicans voted against it. On Tuesday, 54 Republicans who backed the last continuing budgetary resolution voted against the latest one.

Republicans pointed the blame at President Barack Obama and Democrats in control of the U.S. Senate.

Freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross joined U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in standing against continuing federal budget resolutions on Tuesday. Ross said it was time for Congress to pass a full budget.

On Tuesday, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera raised the stakes on Capitol Hill, saying he will help block a free-trade agreement with South Korea if similar agreements with Colombia and Panama continue to stall.

Beneath Florida's Vietnam Veterans Memorial across the street from the Capitol building, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Adam Putnam pledged their support for legislation carving out parts of state parks specifically for U.S. military veterans.

Bills filed in the House and Senate would create special areas for veterans to enjoy outdoor activities like hunting. Advocates for the bill say the new veterans' areas will be parts of state parks that go largely unused.

From his perch as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis weighed in on the crisis Japan continues to face at nuclear power plants, and responses in the U.S. --including Gov. Rick Scotts actions in Florida.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says it's a natural fit to make the department that oversees the state's fruits and vegetables also responsible for getting that fresh produce on children's lunch trays at school.

During the Florida Board of Education meeting Tuesday morning, Putnam made his case before the board as to why children's nutrition programs should be transferred from the Department of Education to the new commissioner's department.

Putnam contends that things have changed significantly over the last few years.