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Staff ReportsMarch 10, 2018

The 2018 Legislative Session came and went, and Brian Pitts of the advocacy group Justice 2 Jesus was nowhere to be found. One of the last times he was spotted was November at the Oversight, Transparency & Administration Subcommittee. It was the last meeting for former state Rep. Neil Combee and after he said farewell, […]

Peter SchorschMarch 3, 2018

There is “zero tolerance” for sexual harassment in the Legislature, leaders say, but an ethics reform package that would create new rules and penalties for sexual harassment may not become law this year. The Florida House unanimously passed the proposal this week, but Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley is blocking the bill in the Senate because […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 24, 2018

As House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s priority education bill is pushed through the Senate committee process, some watching this week were perplexed by the vote of one sometimes perplexing Republican lawmaker. Sen. Tom Lee, who has helped carry Corcoran’s policy in a sometimes-hostile Senate, voted with Democrats to gut language from the omnibus bill that would […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 17, 2018

With only three weeks left in the 2018 Legislative Session, the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is dominating the conversation in Tallahassee. Democrats have started making noise about Republicans obstructing their long-stalled gun control bills, while GOP-leaders have focused on the need for changes to mental health laws, and needed funding boosts. Gov. Rick […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 10, 2018

A list of 10 amendment proposals, dubbed “the terrible ten,” is making the rounds as the Constitution Revision Commission nears a May deadline to submit its final report. The left-leaning advocacy group, League of Women Voters of Florida, has come up with its “worst of the worst” list compiled of what they say are proposed […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 3, 2018

Hey, we get it. There’s a lot going on in the 2018 Legislative Session — and it’s only Week Five. With budget negotiations, the passage of 27 bills this week and it being an election year, it’s easy to get lost in the noise. So, here’s a brief — very brief — update on some […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 27, 2018

A proposal that would restrict local governments from imposing their own regulations sparked a back-and-forth Friday over LGBTQ rights between two individuals who come from completely opposite ends of the political spectrum. Democratic state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith told a Constitution Revision panel that the proposal would “eliminate all human rights ordinances” adopted by local […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 20, 2018

Citizen groups, the Legislature and the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) are all able to change the state’s governing document, but constitutional amendments still have to pass the final test — the people. That means placement on the statewide ballot and getting at least 60 percent approval. But what governs the order of amendments on the […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 13, 2018

It looks like Sen. Gary Farmer has been keeping up with the news. ProPublica and the Naples Daily News both published in-depth investigations last year that highlighted a state law used by businesses and insurers to profit from undocumented workers and then dump them after they’re injured. One of the reports found that nearly 800 undocumented workers […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 6, 2018

Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez wants to know if the state will take any independent action against drug companies for their role in the state’s opioid epidemic. “As we all know, this is now, and has been for some time, a full-blown public health crisis, and there is no time to waste,” Rodriguez wrote to Attorney […]

Tag: Takeaways from Tallahassee
Image via TCEC.

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Where is Justice 2 Jesus?

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Ethics reform in peril

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A puzzling vote

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A tragic dialogue

Takeaways from Tallahassee — ‘Terrible ten’

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Legislative misses

Takeaways from Tallahassee — LGBTQ tweet war

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Getting 2018 ballot in ‘order’

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Help for ‘disposable’ workers

Takeaways from Tallahassee — What’s up with the opioid probe?