February 6, 2020
During a rally at the Capitol, religious leaders from across the state accused Democratic lawmakers of using students as pawns in a political game. Their ire follows an exodus of corporate support for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program following an investigation that found some schools accepting the scholarship funds had policies discriminating against gay or transgender students. Reps. Anna V. Eskamani and Carlos Guillermo Smith have been calling out corporations donating to the program. Still, the African American Ministers Alliance for Parental Choice said the pressure campaign is hurting mostly low-income black and brown children. Here’s your nightly rundown.
Testing standards. The House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee moved forward a bill that would nix the state’s 9th-grade language arts and 10th-grade geometry tests and require school districts to administer the SAT or ACT to 11th graders.
PIP repeal. A measure to repeal Florida’s PIP no-fault vehicle insurance with bodily injury coverage faced a slew of opposition but ultimately cleared the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee.
Managed care. The House budget bill includes a requirement that all “essential” health care providers contract with all Medicaid managed care plans offered in their area to qualify for Medicaid supplemental payments.
Licensing laws. The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee unanimously signed off on legislation to cut licensing requirements for numerous professions, including auctioneers, barbers and geologists.
Inspection rules. A bill that would allow the Agency for Health Care Administration to inspect nursing homes and hospitals with “excellent regulatory history“ less frequently was OK’d by the House Health Market Reform Subcommittee.
Baby boxes. A House committee approved a bill that would authorize hospitals and fire stations to install and use “baby boxes,” the equivalent of bank after-hours deposit portals for unwanted newborns.
Cam ban. A bill that would ban red-light cameras got the green light from the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee.
Mental health days. A bill that would permit school districts to allow students to get an excused absence for mental health reasons was approved by the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee.
CareerSource shift. The House Workforce Development and Tourism Subcommittee advanced a bill that would move the state’s workforce development board under the Department of Economic Opportunity.
Lake O solutions. A bipartisan group of lawmakers representing South and Southwest Florida formed the Lake Okeechobee Working Group to outline best practices to reduce excess water in the lake.
Acreage acquired. The Governor and Cabinet agreed to spend $21.74 million acquiring 5,717 acres of land in Sarasota and Columbia counties.
Sea-level studies. A bill that would require local governments to conduct sea-level impact projection studies before breaking ground on state-funded construction projects passed its first House committee.
Hurricane costs. The Florida Public Service Commission approved a rate increase for Duke Energy Florida to recover $171.3 million in costs stemming from Hurricane Dorian and Tropical Storm Nestor.