The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced on Thursday that hackers had obtained the Social Security numbers and other information from more than 21 million Americans -- and now two presidential candidates are calling for OPM Director Katherine Archuleta to be dismissed. 

Last month, reports emerged that hackers had stolen the information of more than 4 million Americans through OPM. Signs indicated the attack originated from China. 

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., might not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2016 but he is starting to assume a larger role in pushing for a balanced budget in Washington. 

Buchanan pointed to the financial crisis in Greece this week as an example of what could happen in the U.S. if government spending is not reined in. 
 
“What is happening in Greece today could very well become the fate of America if we do not take serious steps to control spending,” Buchanan said on Thursday. “It’s a wake-up call we should not ignore.”

Florida legislators might consider tweaking the state's sex-offender law after the prosecution of a couple seen having a midday romp on the beach, radio talk-show caller "Matt from Fort Walton Beach" said on the air Tuesday.

"I think we may look at those instances where you don't have someone who is harmed by the offense, as much as harmed by the viewing of the offense, and perhaps treat those differently," said the caller, better known as Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach.

With U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., launching a bid for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, the race to replace him is already taking shape. Grayson is running for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for president and has said he will not seek a second Senate term. 

On the Democratic side, Florida Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, told the Orlando Sentinel that he will enter the race. 

The Florida Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Florida Legislature Thursday, overturning current congressional districts and demanding the state draw up a new map before the 2016 elections. 

The justices ruled 5-2 to overturn the districts which were mapped out by the Republican-led Legislature. 

Justices Charles Canady and Ricky Polston dissented. 

Under a 2010 "Fair Districts" voter-approved constitutional amendment, districts are not allowed to be drawn to favor a specific political party. 

Congressional representatives from across the Sunshine State cheered the passage of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s, R-Fla., Veterans ID Card Act this week. 

The bill, which passed the U.S. House on Tuesday without opposition, is now headed to President Barack Obama’s desk. Buchanan’s bill would ensure all veterans receive ID cards from the VA instead of just those who served 20 years in the armed forces or are seeking medical treatment for service-related wounds. 

The U.S. House Appropriations passed the Agriculture Appropriations Bill on Wednesday which included an extra $2 million to fight citrus disease. 

The money was requested by U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., who sits on the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, to battle Huanglongbing (HLB), better known as citrus greening.

In an interview on WKMG TV in Orlando, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., announced on Thursday that he was entering the race to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2016. 

The House of Representatives voted to overhaul the increasingly controversial No Child Left Behind education law Wednesday, aiming to give less control over education to the federal government and more control to state and local school districts.

It was a so-so legislative season for early education in Florida.

A bill that would have raised health and safety standards for voluntary pre-kindergarten and school-readiness programs failed for the second year in a row.

State leaders added no new money to voluntary pre-K, which serves 170,000 4-year-olds --- while per-student spending remains well below the national average.