Florida House leaders have rolled out a proposal that would allow patients to smoke medical marijuana, but only after going through what one critic called a “bureaucratic mess of red tape.”

The House proposal, released Tuesday afternoon, would require doctors get the approval of a “case review panel” before they could order smokable marijuana for patients.

Under a Senate plan approved by a key committee Monday, patients would have to see two doctors before being allowed to smoke, adding to out-of-pocket costs.

Rep. Jay Trumbull is casting a wide net in search of money for his storm-ravaged Panhandle district.

As House members continued to submit projects to be considered for the state’s 2019-2020 budget, Trumbull on Tuesday submitted 41 bills --- worth a total of $253 million --- all with an eye on Hurricane Michael recovery.

Trumbull, a Panama City Republican who represents most of hard-hit Bay County, called it “a good start.”

This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who sits on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, brought back a proposal taking aim at ZTE, a telecommunications company run by the Chinese government. 

Members of the Florida delegation weighed in after President Donald Trump offered the State of the Union address on Tuesday night with reaction divided along party lines. 

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., praised Trump for focusing on keeping the strong economy going. 

In the first major demonstration of an ideological shift on the revamped Florida Supreme Court, justices Tuesday refused to consider an appeal in a Miami Beach minimum-wage lawsuit that a former liberal-leaning majority of the court had scheduled to hear next month.

The move by the now-conservative majority was a victory for business groups who have fought an ordinance that Miami Beach passed in 2016 to raise the minimum wage locally. The Supreme Court effectively let stand lower-court decisions that blocked the ordinance.

U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., has brought back his proposal for the U.S. Commerce Department to increase regulation on the international shark trade. 

Towards the end of last month, Webster brought back his “Sustainable Shark and Fisheries Trade Act” proposal which is being backed by cosponsors from both sides of the aisle including fellow Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Matt Gaetz and Ted Yoho.

From his perch as the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., continues to praise the Trump administration for its opposition to the Maduro regime in Venezuela. 

Rubio announced on Monday that  Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Venezuela to the United States Carlos Vecchio will be his official guest when President Donald Trump gives the State of the Union address on Tuesday night. 

Siding with Florida’s largest cannabis operator, a circuit judge for the second time struck down a law capping the number of dispensaries medical marijuana businesses can run.

The limit on the number of retail storefronts was included in a 2017 law aimed at carrying out a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.

But Quincy-based Trulieve challenged the provision, arguing the restriction “arbitrarily impairs product availability and safety” and “unfairly penalizes” pot providers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday touted a proposal to spend an additional $18.8 million next year on a program that provides voucher-like scholarships to students with disabilities, saying he trusts “parents to make the best decision” for the education of their children.

Two Florida Republicans--U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, who sits on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee--are leading the charge on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Commerce Department to end an agreement with Mexican tomato growers.