Senate Boots Vouchers In Class Size Bill - "The original House proposal included an expansion of vouchers; the Senate did not. The House measure also would let parents opt for a three-year high-school diploma for their children. The Senate refused to agree to the vouchers but did accept the three-year high school diploma. The provision generated some debate Friday. Minority Leader Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, said he was worried about whether out-of-state universities would accept students who opted for a three-year program." See "Senate passes class size bill, expects House to agree".
What Will The "Education Governor" Do About This? "Rather than focus on ways to increase much-needed revenue, Florida legislators are stuck on being able to claim that they didn't raise taxes. It appears that the Legislature will continue its miserly trend of shortchanging state universities this year by cutting the 11 campuses a collective $40 million. In addition, the 'new money' legislators will claim to have spent on higher education will come from a hefty tuition increase." See "Students deserve more than higher tuition".
Everglades Option "A special master would remove an onerous burden from the governor and his team of environmental advisers who are in dire need of a neutral forum to promote their plans for cleaning up the Everglades. Right now, the governor is in a quandary. At first he insisted on signing a controversial bill that would change the law that governs the reduction of phosphorous in the River of Grass. Now he appears to be having second thoughts, and says he will study the matter."
"The bill would change the state's Everglades Forever Act and delay deadlines for meeting strict phosphorous pollution standards. Bush's stance hasn't helped his "environmental governor" image at home, nor has it played well in Washington where several influential members of Congress have threatened to withhold $4 billion if Bush signs the law. The money would be used to help finance a huge project that would redirect the flow of water within the Everglades." See "Welcome Special Master".
Don't You Love Self-proclaimed "Uniters" Like Our "Jeb!"? "Gov. Jeb Bush's fight to assign a guardian to the fetus of a severely disabled Orlando woman will likely go to the Florida Supreme Court, where legal experts say an increasingly conservative crew of justices awaits and may be willing to erode abortion rights that the court once protected." See "State's top court may hear case of rape victim, fetus". The St Pete Times' take on the issue is here.
So Very Compassionate - "Jeb!" Pushes Through A Bill To "Shave Benefits To Injured Workers" - "A House bill that promises to reduce workers compensation premiums by 15 percent but shave benefits to injured workers won the support of Senate leaders this week after some heavy-handed politics and a demand by Gov. Jeb Bush to put the deal in writing."
Florida Right Wing Radio - "Steve Kane, the radio talk host who shocked a high school audience by uttering the "n" word, repeated it again while talking about the incident as he dangled his son on his knee." This is one weird right wing radio hack. See "Radio show host comfortable in controversy, contradictions".
Childers Goes Down - "Escambia Circuit Judge Jere Tolton -- who once served in the Legislature with Childers -- somberly sentenced the 69-year-old career politician to 3 ½ years imprisonment, 18 months' probation and 250 hours of community service for bribery. Tolton also denied Childers bail while he appeals his conviction. Childers is to begin serving the sentence as soon as he completes a separate 60-day jail term for violating Florida's open-meeting Sunshine Law." See "Pot full of money dooms politician".
Whatever - "The House approved a bill Friday that would rename an Alzheimer's research center after House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's father, then exempted some of its activities from open-government laws." See "Tallahassee Ticker".
Trial Lawters Will Not Be Happy - "House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and Senate President Jim King both said Friday that lawmakers may be able in the current special session to find a way to curb the cost of malpractice insurance." See "King, Byrd: malpractice may be addressed in this special session".
FCAT Reprieves - "High school seniors who have been accepted into college, but whose entrance to those schools remains in limbo because they failed the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, could get some help from Florida lawmakers after all." See "Some who failed FCAT could get a reprieve".
The Texas Thing - Molly Ivins' great piece on the Dem revolt in Texas points out that "The real reason Democrats are outta here is a session-long display of meanness and unfairness that finally became unbearable." And, doesn't the alleged human quoted below sound like she would quickly rise to a leadership position in the Florida House:
"During a committee meeting, Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Houston) demanded earnestly, 'Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education? Free medical care? Free whatever? It comes from Moscow. From Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell.'" 6:40 AM
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