The Supreme Court's decision announced Monday in the Arizona v. United States case opens the way for sensible reform of our immigration laws.

With a prison-privatization plan all but dead, an appeals court Wednesday appeared hesitant to decide a constitutional fight about whether lawmakers improperly used the state budget to approve the plan.

Florida taxpayers -- in the comfort of their homes -- can now start to shift through more than 23,400 state contracts that make up more than 50 percent of the states budget and have long been inaccessible without the time-consuming public records request process.

And the move to provide more transparency could precede efforts by the state's top financial officer to push legislators to define what the contract process is, requiring contracts to be bid upon rather than simply awarded, and what they believe could remain shielded from public view.

There is a strong link between economic mobility and education that still remains, even in these toughest of times.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has a good opportunity to rally Republicans behind him -- and he may have an old political foe to thank for it.

Scott won a bloody Republican primary over then-Attorney General Bill McCollum in 2010. While Scott went on to defeat Democratic nominee Alex Sink, who was then serving as state CFO, in the closest gubernatorial election in more than 165 years of Florida statehood, McCollum sulked in his tent, refusing to endorse either of the candidates.

A poll of Florida voters unveiled Wednesday shows that incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is in for a tough fight as he seeks his third term, while Gov. Rick Scott remains upside down in the Sunshine State.

The Quinnipiac poll finds Democrat Nelson taking 41 percent while U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the favorite to win the Republican primary in August, is right behind him with 40 percent. A Q-poll released last week showed Nelson with a larger lead, taking 43 percent, while Mack followed with 39 percent.

Quinnipiac University released polls of three crucial battleground states on Wednesday -- Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- showing President Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney by single digits, and the Democrat incumbent scoring points in the Sunshine State with his new immigration policy.

The polls show Florida to be the closest state, with Obama taking 45 percent and Romney right behind with 41 percent. Obama also gets 45 percent in Ohio while 39 percent back Romney. In Ohio, Obama takes 47 percent with Romney trailing with 38 percent.

Students giving inspirational messages at public school events, revamped auto insurance rules, a new statewide energy plan, advertising on state trails, student-athletes being able to transfer to more competitive programs and a new state symbol all become law on Sunday.

In addition to the states $70 billion budget -- including a $1 billion boost to public education -- for the 2012-2013 fiscal year kicking into effect, more than 100 new laws and regulation repeals will hit the books, or be removed, as of July 1.