Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Christine Jordan SextonJune 15, 2015

House Republicans earlier this month rejected a Senate proposal to extend health coverage after a bitterly divisive debate that last nearly seven hours. House leaders such as Rep. Jason Brodeur and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli contended a better way was to fix other problems with the state’s health care laws. The answer from the Senate? […]

Mitch PerryJune 12, 2015

Thirty-eights years after Anita Bryant, Florida no longer officially bans gays from adopting children. Although it’s been legal for such couples to adopt since 2010, Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law Thursday night that now makes that official. The issue roiled social conservatives in and outside of the Legislature this spring. The inclusion of […]

Mitch PerryJune 11, 2015

It took him awhile, but Florida Governor Rick Scott today signed HB 7013, an adoption bill that offers financial incentives for qualifying employees of state agencies who adopt a child from the child welfare system. The measure would provide $5,000 payments to government workers who adopt foster children, with the payments increasing to $10,000 for adopting children […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 10, 2015

A House health care panel on Wednesday took up and passed six bills that, combined, leaders say will reduce the cost of health care and, in turn, increase access to doctors and services. The Health and Human Services Committee spent two hours hearing the bills, which range from establishing a new health care provider called […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 9, 2015

A House health care subcommittee moved a bill to eliminate “certificates of need” for all hospital services. The bill does not eliminate CON for nursing homes or hospices where there has been a flurry of interest after a long-time moratorium on the construction of new nursing beds was lifted. HB 31A was opposed by the […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 5, 2015

While the Senate pushed increasing access to health care for the uninsured during the 2015 Legislative Session, the Florida House steadfastly refused to discuss it, saying the underlying problems in the health care system and Florida’s high uninsured population were because of the steep costs of health care. After debating the Senate FHIX proposal for […]

Ryan RayJune 3, 2015

The intense intra-cameral friction that defined the 2015 Legislative Session seems not to have dissipated after a few weeks off but rather compounded, culminating in the most antagonistic legislative hearing of the year at Tuesday’s meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee. There, budget chief Tom Lee led a chorus of indignant senators who excoriated AHCA deputy director Justin […]

Ryan RayJune 1, 2015

Health care committees in the House and Senate on Monday discussed the same proposal to expand health care access to the uninsured–SB 2A–in Florida. But it might not have sounded like it. In a “Tale of Two Cities”-esque tableau, the Senate discussed the bill for one hour before unanimously agreeing to pass it with sponsor […]

Ryan RayJune 1, 2015

House Speaker Steve Crisafulli set a brisk, all-business tone as the “people’s chamber” started the first Special Session since 2011. That was when a challenge to the body’s redistricting efforts brought the House back to Tallahassee in the summer for a quick cosmetic fix to a small number of seats. This Special Session is something else […]

Mitch PerryMay 7, 2015

Social conservatives in Florida are urging Gov. Rick Scott to veto an adoption bill because it lacks a “conscience protection” provision for faith-based adoption and foster care agencies. CS-HB 7013 was a bill strongly supported by Senate President Andy Gardiner when the session began. It re-creates a program to provide a financial benefit of $5,000 or $10,000 […]

Tag: Jason Brodeur

Steve Crisafulli downplays Senate rejection of House health care proposals

Mitch Perry Report for 6.12.15 — On this LGBT issue, Florida and Rick Scott resist social conservative pressures

Rick Scott signs bill that repeals gay-adoption ban in Florida

House passes 6 health care disruption bills from committee

House OKs bill to eliminate CONs for hospitals

House prepares to deliberate its health care “cost containment” bills next week

House-Senate health care fight inflected by Twitterverse

Dueling committee presentations on FHIX plan show merits of health care expansion all in the eye of the beholder

Welcome (back) to the Florida House: Session 2015 A begins

Florida Family Action urges Rick Scott to veto adoption bill