In the wake of a near-four-hour debate and rejection of the Senate Medicaid expansion alternative, the House on Friday approved its scaled-back, 18-item tax-cut package. The vote was 97-10.

Lawmakers were forced to cut Finance and Tax Chair Matt Gaetz's work to cover health-care costs in the overall budget. The bill now offers a savings of $273.2 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, increasing to $436 million the following year.

Gaetz rattled off reductions included in HB 33A:

In the likely final act of one of the most divisive legislative debates in years, the Florida House voted decisively Friday to reject a proposal that would have used federal Medicaid expansion money to help lower-income Floridians purchase private health insurance.

On a 72-41 vote nearly along party lines, the House defeated the bill (SB 2A) creating the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, or FHIX, after a grueling discussion that lasted almost seven hours. Four Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democrats.

Half a year after he announced he was launching an exploratory bid for the Republican presidential nomination, former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., will join the growing field of GOP hopefuls later this month, scheduling appearances in states that hold early presidential primaries and caucuses.

Florida’s education system has another reason to brag, according to a new report

Saturday marks the 71st anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landing of Normandy and the start of the liberation of France from Nazi control during World War II. Florida played a supporting role in the amphibious landing and the start of what Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the Allied commander, called the crusade in Europe.

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FHIX 3.0, the Senate's amended Medicaid expansion alternative, went nowhere fast Thursday, as one by one majority House members picked it apart.

Jacksonville's Mia Jones, House minority leader pro tempore, drew the short straw for the Democrats by having to present the Senate's case for FHIX, explaining it -- and trying to sell the package. She made it plain that she personally favored full Medicaid expansion as required under the Affordable Care Act.

Two Florida congressmen -- Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Ted Deutch -- teamed up on Thursday to unveil the “Seniors Fraud Prevention Act” which cracks down on bogus sweepstakes and other scams targeting seniors. 

The proposal, which also is backed by U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., would set up an office in the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Affairs to tackle new reports of scams directed at seniors. 

On Thursday,  U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., took his efforts to ensure authority over armed drones remains solely with the Department of Defense (DOD) to the national level as he showcased his Drone Reform Act (DRA) and claimed it was starting to pick up steam. 

Two members of the Florida congressional delegation -- Republican David Jolly and Democrat Gwen Graham -- teamed up this week to ensure the current ban on drilling for oil in the eastern Gulf goes all the way through 2027. Currently there is an effort in the U.S. Senate from U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., which would allow drilling up to 50 miles off the Florida Gulf Coast.