A bill that would allow Floridians to enter into "domestic partnerships" resembling marriages was filed Wednesday by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, in an apparent effort to extend at least some marital benefits to same-sex couples.

Gov. Rick Scott is looking to take another run at getting performance bonuses for some state employees, he told a newspaper in an interview published Monday. But the move could do little to quiet calls for broad-based pay increases after workers have seen their wages stagnate in recent years.

In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, Scott said the proposal would be similar to one he pushed in 2012 -- when he said agencies should be able to provide performance pay for up to 35 percent of their employees.

The decision by Annette Taddeo to withdraw from the race for Florida Democratic Party chair over the weekend has turned the race into a two-person battle, with Allison Tant of Tallahassee and Alan Clendenin of Tampa left to vie for the position.

Taddeo threw her support behind Tant, who is seen as a sort of establishment candidate in the election, scheduled for Jan. 26.

Gov. Rick Scott signaled that he supports holding all schools that receive taxpayer funding to similar standards -- a stance that could open the door to administering state tests to some private school students.

The exact extent of what Scott would envision for private schools that accept students receiving scholarships paid for with tax credits wasn't clear from his brief remarks at a press conference following Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

The tough housing market is expected to continue to be a drag on the state's tax collections even after the economy begins to pick up in future years, according to forecasters.

There were few changes Tuesday in what state economists believe will happen with property values for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1. Forecasters met and moved the expected growth rate for taxable property values up to 0.83 percent. That's a few ticks up from 0.75 percent -- and both are negligible changes that aren't expected to produce much revenue.

The State Board of Education is likely to vote this week on a new education commissioner, hoping to bring some stability to an agency that has been roiled by missteps and controversy.

Board members will hold interviews Tuesday with the three finalists for the job: Tony Bennett, Indiana superintendent of public instruction; Murray State University President Randy Dunn; and Charles Hokanson, a consultant and former president of the Alliance for School Choice.

The head of a new committee in the Senate set to focus on gaming issues says he expects the panel to conduct a thorough study of gambling in Florida instead of moving quickly.

Sen. Garrett Richter, a Naples Republican who also serves as president pro tempore, said Wednesday that he viewed the recent redistricting process, which included several summer hearings across the state in 2011, as a potential model for the Senate Gaming Committee.