"Dangerous Bills"

The Miami Herald editors: "Dangerous bills help Big Sugar pollute, quash government transparency".

Campaign-finance loophole

"Legislative deal keeps major campaign-finance loophole". See also "Legislators finish rewrite of ethics, campaign bills".

GOP back to its "ugly ways" on immigration

Fabiola Santiago: "" "On immigration, GOP back to ugly ways". More: "Rubio’s effort to woo right on immigration reform continues with Hannity appearance".

"Florida polluters are winners today"

"Senate passes water quality bill, House passes fertilizer amendment -- and Sierra Club slams both".

Voter email address secrecy

The Tampa Bay Times editorial board: "Plan to cloak voter email addresses invites too much secrecy".

Dems co-sponsor health amendment with Fasano

"Democrats to co-sponsor Fasano health amendment". Related: "Policy Note: Medicaid Expansion".

We missed that press conference

We missed the Guv's press conference on this: "Weekly U.S. unemployment benefit applications fell 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the second-lowest level in more than five years. The decline suggests companies are laying off fewer workers and may step up hiring. Here are the states with the biggest increases and decreases in unemployment benefit applications. The state-level data are one week behind the national figures. States with the biggest increases:"

California: Up 24,303, due to layoffs in services

Texas: Up 3,050, no reason given

Florida: Up 2,623, due to layoffs in the manufacturing, construction, services, retail and trade industries

Indiana: Up 2,372, due to layoffs in manufacturing

Arizona: Up 1,296, no reason given

Good luck with that

The Miami Herald editotial board: "Restore affordable-housing funds".

"Power Grab"

The Tampa Bay Times editors: "Power grab hurts lower-wage workers".

Citizens bill delayed

"Citizens Insurance overhaul bill delayed — again".

Florida GOPers in Legislature can't bring themselves to do right by teachers

"The House and the Senate aligned their position on teacher pay raises Sunday, putting the Florida Legislature on a collision course with Gov. Rick Scott. The two chambers have agreed to spend $480 million on salary increases for educators — the same figure Scott has in his budget. The key difference: the Senate and the House are insisting on performance-based raises, while Scott is championing $2,500 across-the-board increases for every classroom teacher in Florida." "House, Senate agree on merit pay raises for teachers". See also "Gov. Scott to sign sweeping education bill" and "Fla. gov. won't get $2,500 raises for teachers".

Five things to look for Monday

"Five things to look for in Monday’s legislative session".

FlaGOP "mega-donor" won't be so generous next time

George Bennett: "Republican mega-donor Al Hoffman of North Palm Beach, disappointed at last week’s defeat of legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases, says he’s reluctant to raise money for GOP candidates who oppose 'reasonable' gun control measures." "Republican donor won’t be generous with those who bailed on gun control". See also: "Will gun control be a problem for GOP in 2014?"

"Aside from Scott, statewide elected Republicans up for re-election in 2014 look safe"

Jeff Henderson: "Democrats across the nation are already licking their chops over the possibility of defeating Gov. Rick Scott next year -- but other statewide elected Republicans up for re-election in 2014 look safe for the moment." "Dems Could Block Florida Cabinet's Road to Re-election".

"House Republicans are not convinced"

"Senate Republicans seem willing to join Democrats in supporting a massive healthcare expansion, but many House Republicans are not convinced." "Future of Medicaid expansion in hands of key GOP House members".

Nelson, Sink and Crist "freeze the field"

"Former state Sen. Dan Gelber, unsuccessful Democratic candidate for attorney general in 2010 and a potential future candidate, told a Tiger Bay Club of Tampa audience Friday that the 'simple desire to do what is right' and 'the courage to act upon your conscience' are what’s missing in Florida politics."

In his speech and an interview, Gelber said he’s not inclined to run for attorney general again and that he and other lesser-known candidates will have to wait on those he called “the big ” — Sen. Bill Nelson, former Gov. Charlie Crist and former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink of Tampa — before deciding whether to run for governor.

“Those candidates freeze the field,” he said, because no others have equal name recognition. “Your ticket to entry in a statewide race is name ID … . I’m on the bench with everybody else.”

Not so bright

The Miami Herald editorial board: "State-funded scholarships should be based on more than standardized tests." "Bright Futures darken".

He is a hyper-cautious 70-year-old who just won a third Senate term and by all accounts enjoys his current job. But he is considering the 2014 run and has no incentive to rush into a decision.

Come August or September, after hearing loads of encouragement and analyzing whether negative public perceptions of Scott remain calcified or are improving, Nelson may well decide the job Chiles snatched from him 23 years ago looks awfully enticing.

1. It's about the legacy.

2. He has little to lose.

3. Nelson can win.

4. It's a better job.

1. Seniority matters in Washington.

2. He could lose.

3. Grace Nelson.

4. Age.

About Gaetz the elder

"Florida Senate president still knocking on doors for support, truth".

"A lack of reliable and affordable private insurance"

The Sarasota Herald Tribune editors: "Any discussion about reforming state-run Citizens Property Insurance should begin with two questions: Why does Citizens exist? Why has it become Florida's largest property insurer?"

The answer to both questions is the same: because of a lack of reliable and affordable private insurance.

The failure to adequately address this fundamental problem may be why the Florida Senate's latest attempt to reform Citizens has run into trouble -- first with outraged Citizens policyholders, then with Gov. Rick Scott, now with Republican senators from coastal communities.

"Lawmakers collect $662k in 'slush funds'"

"In the two months leading up to a legislative session billed as an ethical house-cleaning, Florida legislators raised $662,000 from special interests through the funds they hope to outlaw over the next two weeks." "Lawmakers collect $662k in 'slush funds' they hope to outlaw".

Teachers packing heat

The Palm Beach Post's, Randy Schultz: "The [background check vote] Wednesday came roughly a month after the Senate approved a budget amendment — a budget amendment? — against approving the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty."

Apparently, the NRA’s paranoia-infused marketing campaign for the firearms industry has persuaded enough Americans that the treaty would allow the U.N to seize their guns. Since there were 53 votes for the amendment, including Sen. Rubio’s, and it would take 67 votes on the other side to ratify the treaty, look for the United States to join North Korea, Syria and Iran in opposing the agreement designed to keep weapons from terrorists.

One day earlier, the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House heard testimony on legislation that would authorize school principals to designate staff members to carry a concealed weapon. According to the analysis for House Bill 1097, the “firearms must only be carried in a concealed manner on the individual’s person at all times while performing official school duties.” Those designed to pack heat would have to go through the same training as security guards.

In order, representatives of the Florida School Boards Association (elected officials,) the Florida Association of School Administrators (principals and assistant principals) and the Florida PTA (parents) spoke to the committee in opposition to the bill. The committee members listened politely, and then approved the legislation, 11-7. An education committee previously had passed it 10-3."

Wingnuts run wild in Tally

"The sweeping package of bills, hashed out over two days and 14 hours of debate, contains many pieces of conservative Republican social policy that have been pushed in prior years." "Florida House passes raft of social-conservative bills".

Immigration talks

"Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, a veteran South Florida lawmaker, could play a more crucial role in crafting an immigration bill than fellow Floridian Sen. Marco Rubio. He just doesn’t get the same media attention." "From shadows to spotlight, Mario Diaz-Balart plays powerful role in immigration talks".

Most so-called "moderate" House GOPers in hiding

"After weeks of posturing and debate, the decision to expand Medicaid in Florida or accept $51 billion in federal health care money might rest with a moderate bloc of a dozen or so House Republicans."

And they're not saying a lot, least publicly.

While Senate Republicans appear willing to join Democrats in supporting a massive health care expansion, many House Republicans serving in moderate districts have yet to vocally embrace or reject federal assistance.

As the House laffs

"Taking on two of Tallahassee's most influential interest groups, the Florida Senate is advancing plans this spring to eliminate a pair of decades-old tax breaks for banks and insurance companies. One measure would repeal a tax deduction for international banking, which critics say has become a gaping loophole that does nothing to encourage investment in Florida and primarily benefits big, multistate banks such as Citigroup and Bank of America. The other would wipe out a tax credit for insurance companies and use the resulting revenue to reduce the car-registration fees paid by Florida drivers." "Big tax breaks for banks and insurance companies could be wiped out".

Florida's percentage of gun homicides has climbed

"While the murder rate in Florida has been falling, the percentage of homicides involving firearms has climbed." "Guns used in rising percentage of Florida murders".

FlaDems lack "nauseating" "cowards and pimps" like Rubio

Yesterday we linked to Carl Hiaasen's latest about Marco Rubio, Florida's international-empty-suit and GOP dream boy. However, we neglected to excerpt the following passage, which has received some national play. Here are Hiaasen's biting words:

Marco Rubio showed his true yellow colors last week, joining 45 other cowards to defeat Senate legislation designed to stop criminals from buying firearms online and at gun shows.

The vote was nauseating. So is Rubio. . . .

And when it came time to decide on Wednesday, with heartsick families of the murdered Newtown children watching from the Senate gallery, Rubio stood with the cowards and pimps for the gun-manufacturing lobby.

In the meantime, the Tribune Company's Scott Powers echos FlaGOP talking points this morning: "Florida Democrats are short on statewide candidates".

Well, if Powers' version of a strong bench is one filled with "nauseating" "cowards and pimps" like Rubio, that may not be a bad thing for the FlaDems.

"We’re too far gone to be saved by new legislation"

Fred Grimm: "As the public found itself unable to take its eyes off their hand-held devices last week, the Florida Senate approved a bill that would ban texting while driving, though only as a so-called 'second offense.'"

In other words, if a policeman pulled you over for firing bursts from an assault weapon at the car in the next lane, and he noticed that you had also been texting your cousin “U want 2 go C movie?” he can add a $30 ticket to your rap sheet.

I’m afraid we’re too far gone to be saved by new legislation. Western Europe made it illegal back in the 1980s to talk on cell phones and drive, making for an easy transition to a texting ban. Only 10 states in the U.S., none of them called Florida, passed legislation against cell phone talking and driving. And now we can hardly get out of first gear without communicating, one way or another, through the phone.

The notion that a very tepid state law against texting might convince Florida drivers to lay down their iPhones seems almost fanciful. In 2011, a Centers for Disease Control survey found that 30 percent of American drivers admitted to texting while driving. I suspect a lie detector test might double the percentage.

"Slimmed-down tax-incentive toy box"

"Scott will get a slimmed-down tax-incentive toy box with tougher standards for evaluating the economic benefit of projects." "Scott to get fewer tax-incentive dollars, more qualifiers".

"Criminals and profiteers" exploit private contracts with school boards

"The fight over subsidized tutoring in the Florida Legislature has come down to a quiet confrontation set against an unlikely backdrop — a series of budget talks between the House and Senate."

As the session winds down, the fate of the controversial program is being haggled over in private because of a last-ditch effort to tie reforms to the state budget process.

On one side, the Florida House, backed by superintendents of the state’s largest school systems, wants to end mandated tutoring for poor students and give districts control over the money.

On the other, a Senate plan, backed by the for-profit tutoring industry, aims to keep tax dollars flowing to private contractors but also adds as-yet-undefined accountability measures.

Both sides met Saturday morning but have yet to reach a deal. The sticking point in the talks is whether school districts should have the option of hiring outside tutors for their most vulnerable students — or whether they should be required to. Subsidized tutoring, or supplemental educational services, came under scrutiny in Florida following a Tampa Bay Times investigation published in February. In a series of stories, the newspaper showed that criminals were earning tax dollars running tutoring businesses and lax regulation had allowed rampant overbilling in the $100 million program.