January 25, 2012 - 6:00pm
How sad is it that Florida, the state with the largest per-capita population over age 65, invests zero dollars in Alzheimer's research?
House, in Mostly Unanimous Votes, Approves 20 Bills
Submitted by Anonymous on January 25, 2012 - 9:40pm
The House approved 20 bills Wednesday.
All the bills, except, SB 634 regarding spaceports, will require Senate approval.
All but one bill, HB 4003, eliminating the Urban Infill and Redevelopment Assistance Grant Program, were unanimous or near unanimous approvals. HB 4003, which several Democrats argued to continue funding, was approved mostly along party lines.
The House approved the following bills Wednesday:
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House Committee Passes Bill to Grade Students' Parents
January 24, 2012 - 6:00pm
Teachers would grade not just students, but the students' parents, too, under a bill that cleared its first House committee Wednesday on a party-line vote.
The measure, which gained national attention when it was filed last year, would have teachers of students up through grade 5 evaluate each parent's involvement in their kids' education, and require districts to report on parental involvement to the state.
Senators Back Expansion of Governor's Nominating Powers for Judiciary
January 24, 2012 - 6:00pm
A compromise to give Gov. Rick Scott and future governors the power to name the majority of the states judicial nominating commission appointments sailed through its first committee on Wednesday.
In a 5-1 party-line vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee backed the bill, SB 1570, that would allow an incoming governor to name five of the nine members of the states judicial nominating commission upon taking office, rather than waiting for each individuals four-year term to expire.
Unlike Obama, GOP Candidates Talk Seriously About Governing
January 25, 2012 - 6:00pm
You know politicians are serious when they move from campaigning to governing. Something like that may be happening on the Republican campaign trail -- but, unfortunately, not at the Obama White House.
'Organized Crime' Jacks Up Florida Auto Insurance Premiums
Submitted by Anonymous on January 25, 2012 - 3:21pm
Florida auto insurance costs 56 percent more than the average in other states, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Why?
Citing a growing wave of staged and phantom accidents around the state, Steve Casey, executive director of the Florida Sheriffs Association, said, PIP fraud has become an organized crime."
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Funeral Buffer Bill Backed in House Judiciary Committee
Submitted by Anonymous on January 25, 2012 - 2:49pm
The Westboro Baptist Church, and anyone else who for some reason desires to protest a military funeral, would have to stand at least 500 feet away under a bill that received unanimous support Wednesday from the House Judiciary Committee.
HB 31 by Rep. Pat Rooney, R-West Palm Beach, expands on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed a 100-foot distance between military protesters and those involved with a military funeral.
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Main Street Retailers Object to Amazon Tax-Break Idea
January 24, 2012 - 6:00pm
The Florida Alliance for Main Street Fairness, which includes the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida, was quick to criticize a report that Amazon is seeking a two-year waiver from collecting sales taxes in exchange for opening a pair of distribution centers in the state.
This is a bad deal for Florida and lawmakers should reject it, Rick McAllister, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation, stated in a release from the Florida Alliance for Main Street Fairness.
Simmons Withdraws Super Property Tax Exemption Effort; May Try Again
January 24, 2012 - 6:00pm
A statewide referendum designed to pump life into the housing market by creating a super property-tax exemption for first-time home buyers and seasonal or second home owners will remain in its original form on the November 2012 ballot.
With little support indicated from members of the Budget Subcommittee on Finance and Tax, as well as continued opposition from the League of Cities and Association of Counties, Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, on Wednesday withdrew -- for now -- his attempt to bring more equity to the states property-tax system.
Insurance Association Hails Panel Vote on PIP Reform Bill
Submitted by Anonymous on January 25, 2012 - 11:53am
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America applauded Florida lawmakers for advancing a PIP reform bill Wednesday.
Florida is the No. 1 state in the nation for staged accidents, which has resulted in an unnecessary, nearly $1 billion fraud tax on consumers over the last three years," the PCIAA said in a statement.
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