With the session winding down, the governor and his staff have played a more hands-on role than in his freshman session.
In addition to one-on-one sit-downs in the governors office with legislators, Gov. Rick Scott has maintained direct contact with legislative leaders in the effort to reform personal injury protection, increase funding for Floridas public schools, cover business tax cuts and throughout the overall budget process.
Hardly surprising that senior Barack Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod wears his heart on his sleeve where Charlie Crist is concerned. The Obama camp wants the fallen former Republican governor back in the president's warm embrace.
While he was in Gainesville Wednesday night, Axelrod told the Tampa Times this:
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Negotiations over hospital funding, along with some other health and human services issues, may need to be resolved later today by the chairs of the House and Senate budgets.
Otherwise, Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, and his budget counterpart in the House, Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, said the budget talks between the chambers have been making progress that should be easier to resolve this weekend.
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I imagine that most SSN readers are also National Review fans, but if you missed it today, the always-discerning Victor Hansen has an essay well worth reading about how history is playing out in world affairs -- why is Russia always autocratic? why are Germans smarter than the rest of Europe? (Hansen doesn't ask this, but why are Greeks so excitable?
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Florida universities may be able to set higher tuition for students enrolled into academic programs state lawmakers hope will produce more graduates to help build the economy.
The House voted 85-28 Friday for HB 7129, a comprehensive education overhaul of the states education system crafted by William Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine he after attended workshops with university leaders on the need to expand the field of science, technology, engineering and math.
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The Senate voted 36-3 to name auto racing as the official sport of Florida.
The bill still needs House approval before it could be steered toward the governors office.
The Senate held no discussion Friday on SB 266 prior to the vote.
On Thursday, a couple of senators questioned the prominence of NASCAR and other auto racing hubs throughout the state over the more participatory activities such as football, golf, baseball, tennis and fishing,
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Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is leading in Georgia, a state he represented in Congress for two decades according to a poll unveiled by Rasmussen Reports on Friday. The primary will be held on Tuesday.
Gingrich leads with 38 percent followed by Mitt Romney with 26 percent. Rick Santorum places third in the Peach State with 20 percent followed by Ron Paul with 7 percent. Only 6 percent are undecided while 3 percent back other candidates.
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A bill that would require up to 30 percent of state employees to submit to random drug testing once every three months -- an effort Gov. Rick Scott sought to impose after he was inaugurated last year -- wasapproved Friday in a 79-37 vote by the House.
The bill would also remove provisions that currently prohibit a state agency from firing an employee for failing the test.
The Senate companion bill, SB 1358, is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Budget Committee this afternoon.
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Rasmussen Reports took a poll of likely Republican primary voters in Ohio on Thursday and finds -- much like another Ohio poll from Quinnipiac University released on Friday-- that its a close race between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney in the Buckeye State.
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Virginia holds its Republican presidential primary on Tuesday -- and it looks like Mitt Romney will roll to a big win in the Old Dominion according to a poll released on Friday.
Romney will only face Ron Paul in Virginia as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum did not make the ballot. According to a Roanoke College poll of likely primary voters released on Friday, Romney is easily besting Paul in Virginia taking 56 percent while the Texas congressman lags with 21 percent.
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