Medicaid expansion once again took center stage in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday when the committee took up several amendments sponsored by Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, to the Senate’s health care proposal.

A self-identified “nonpartisan” political group has it in for House Republicans opposed to Medicaid expansion, but the group has deep ties to Democratic heavy-hitters despite saying it’s not affiliated with any specific political ideology.

Medicaid expansion took center stage within the first few hours of Special Session A, and the House and Senate don’t seem to be any closer in bridging the divide over the issue despite being away from Tallahassee for nearly a month.

A Utah-based testing group is now responsible for reviewing the validity of Florida’s glitch-ridden Florida Standards Assessment test, chosen on Friday by a panel of three men appointed by Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.

Hailing from Orem, Alpine Testing Solutions and Washington, D.C.-based edCount will conduct the intensive validity test this summer, working on a time crunch to give Florida the results by the Sept. 1 deadline.

Ever wondered what school would be like without letter grades? In Martin County, that’s the reality for elementary-aged students -- instead of getting letter grades like “A’s,” “B’s” or “C’s,” students get “M’s,” “P’s,” and “N’s.” If the concept sounds unfamiliar, it’s because it’s not widely used in Florida. The new grading system has left Martin County’s school system all shook up -- and parents aren’t too happy about it.

While Florida lawmakers gear up for a special session beginning next week in Tallahassee, a co-star in the cast of next week's extravaganza is putting forward what he dubs a "compromise" on the issue dividing the House and Senate: Medicaid expansion. 

Politicians live in a day and age where it’s easier than ever to write up a quick message to say hello to constituents or give their opinion on breaking news or hot issues. Social media can be elected officials’ greatest companion -- it was pivotal in reaching out to young voters for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign and has since been a tool to easily create name recognition nationwide.

But on the flip side, the ease of composing a tweet or a Facebook post can sometimes put politicians in a precarious position.