Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin, released a video in which he touches on the passage of a measure in the state Senate on Wednesday, forwarding a proposed constitutional amendment to the 2012 ballot allowing Floridians to opt out of the federal health-care law backed by President Barack Obama.

The Florida Senate passed a controversial bill Thursday that would tie teacher pay to performance and student learning.

Senate Bill 736, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, would base 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation on student test scores, and those evaluations would determine teacher salaries, beginning in 2014.

The bill would also phase out tenure for teachers, as each new teacher hired after July 1 would be offered a one-year contract.

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.

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.

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.