Mississippi’s state Legislature this week passed a bill that would place prohibitive restrictions on abortion providers in the state, in an effort to curb access to legal abortions. The Florida Legislature attempted to pass a similar bill this year that would crack down on providers, but the measure was blocked by a group of state senators before it could make it to the floor.
In exactly a week, the Supreme Court of the United States will begin hearing a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health care reform law that was signed in 2010. Leading the challenge in court is the state of Florida.
This year the Florida Legislature passed a bill that would give more rule-making authority to Gov. Rick Scott– including the ability to dole out $100 million to businesses however he sees fit.
As Florida’s $70 billion budget passed in the Legislature late last week, Democrats in both chambers took the opportunity to criticize GOP leaders in both the state House and Senate for denying federal funds from the Affordable Care Act. The GOP-led Legislature also levied huge cuts on health services this year, which could have been remedied by increased federal funding.
Despite last session’s onslaught of legislation aimed at cracking down on legal abortions in the state , the Florida Legislature did not pass a single anti-abortion bill during the 2012 legislative session. Ten anti-abortion bills were introduced this year.
Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos today committed to include “a formal study reviewing the effectiveness of economy development incentives, tax credits, exemptions, and subsidies,” in the state’s economic incentives bill, which is now on its way to the governor’s desk. The announcement is a victory for progressive groups across the state.
With very little debate and a 31-9 vote, the Florida Senate passed a bill today that critics have warned would severely weaken Florida’s Department of Health.
The K-12 education Parent Empowerment in Education bill, also known as the “Parent Trigger” bill, is slated to go before the Florida Senate Thursday. The bill, which opponents have said is merely a push to privatize public schools, has already passed the House of Representatives.
During budget negotiations Sunday night, GOP leadership tried to unsuccessfully sneak prison privatization into the state’s budget, The Palm Beach Post reports.
Today, a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Florida Senate blocked an effort to take a controversial anti-abortion bill out of committee for a final vote in that chamber.
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