U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., is continuing his fight to end slaughtering horses for human consumption in the U.S. and stop exporting horses to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.

This week, Buchanan brought back his "Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act" which he introduced in August 2017 and garnered 150 co-sponsors in the U.S. House. While the bill was not able to get over the finish line last time out, he did bring out an amendment to a government funding bill on the matter. 

Now in his fourth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., will continue to lead Republicans on a key subcommittee under the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee’s umbrella. 

Yoho will be the ranking Republican on the House Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation Subcommittee which he led as chairman when the GOP controlled the House. U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., will chair the committee. 

The North Central Florida Republican announced his new role on Wednesday. 

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is reeling in support from his fellow senators for his bill to protect American technology from China and other nations. 

Now wrapping up the first month of his second term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla., has brought back a bill to help veterans start up small businesses. 

A Senate bill seeking to provide firefighters battling cancer with an opt-in supplement plan to help pay insurance deductibles marks the fourth year in a row a proposed firefighters benefit bill has been introduced.

But the fourth time, proponents hope, could be the charm because this year’s legislative iteration, Senate Bill 426, is sponsored by influential Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, and comes with support from heavy-hitters including Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who cites its adoption as his top legislative priority.

Gov. Ron DeSantis still wants to eliminate Florida’s ban on smoking medical marijuana, but he’s walked back his opposition to a state system that resulted in what the new governor this month called a cannabis “cartel.”

Speaking to reporters following Tuesday’s state Cabinet meeting, DeSantis reiterated his insistence that the Legislature do away with the smoking prohibition, saying it “ran afoul” of a 2016 voter-approved constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.

Water protection and restoration projects, including the fight against red tide and the continued cleanup of the Everglades, will account for $625 million of a proposed budget that Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will roll out Friday for state lawmakers to consider.

DeSantis on Tuesday outlined part of his environmental budget proposal during an appearance at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center in Naples. He also named Chauncey Goss and Ron Bergeron to the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board.

Already the chairman of the U.S. House Ethics Committee, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., will also chair the U.S. House Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism Subcommittee. 

First coming to Congress in a special election in 2010, Deutch has been the top Democrat on the subcommittee since 2013, often working with then U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., when she chaired it. Deutch has been a strong supporter of Israel and Jordan, including breaking with the Obama administration on the nuclear deal with Iran. 

Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher resigned Monday, rather than appeal her suspension before a Republican Senate where, she claims, the odds would be stacked against her.

Having met with her attorney, Leonard Feuer, she said they concluded a hearing would be a waste of time, conducted by a handpicked Senate committee "with attorneys for DeSantis acting as prosecutors."

Juan Cuba is stepping down as chairman of the Miami Democrats after two years in the post. During his tenure, Miami Democrats flipped two congressional seats and picked up a state Senate seat. 

After serving as executive director of the party, Cuba took over as chairman in December 2016. While Republicans won all but one statewide races last year, Democrats have continued to make gains in Miami as Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell were elected in November, carrying seats that had been held by Republicans. 

Cuba announced on Tuesday that he was leaving his post.