Daily Clips for January 25, 2011

FEATURED STORIES Rick Scott puts young campaign staffers in high-profile, in-house lobbying jobs By Katie Sanders St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau One kept track of Gov. Rick Scott's inauguration invitations and donations. House asking to join lawsuit over redistricting By Gary Fineout Sarasota Herald-Tribune Nearly 63 percent of Florida voters last November approved sweeping new standards for lawmakers to follow in drawing up new congressional and state legislative districts. Anti-abortion effort surges following Republican victories in November By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Emboldened by the November elections, Florida lawmakers and their cohorts around the nation are pushing forward with measures to restrict abortions nearly four decades after the U.S. Supreme Court's monumental Roe vs. Wade decision made them legal. Senate panel hears more on immigration reform By Jim Ash Florida Capital News Florida banned employers from hiring undocumented workers 11 years ago, but the law has never been enforced, a top law-enforcement official told legislators Monday. Florida GOP, Democratic lawmakers to sit together at speech By Lesley Clark and David Goldstein Miami Herald Embracing the latest call for civility in Congress came easy for some in Florida's congressional delegation. FLORIDA POLITICS Democrats blast GOP leaders for intervention in suit targeting ‘Fair Districts’ By Cooper Levey-Baker Florida Independent Florida Democrats are sharply criticizing Republican state House leaders after a report by The Florida Independent this morning revealed that the House is moving to assist in a lawsuit seeking the removal of one of the state’s two popular anti-gerrymandering amendments. “Inside the Lines” website debuts to track Florida’s redistricting process By Peter Schorsch St. Petersblog 2.0 “Inside the Lines”, a hyper-focused website dedicated to tracking Florida’s historically contentious redistricting process, goes live today at InsideTheLinesFLA.com. Scott turns to campaign staffers to fill agency jobs By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Just a few short months ago Christopher Chaney was holding two jobs: He was a legislative analyst for a lobbying firm while also working as head waiter at a downtown Tallahassee restaurant. Florida members of Congress choose comity over partisanship By William E. Gibson and Mark K. Matthews South Florida Sun-Sentinel When President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to Congress and a national television audience Tuesday night, liberal Democrat Frederica Wilson of Miami plans to sit alongside conservative Republican Sandy Adams of Orlando in a quiet demonstration of nonpartisan civility. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Impact fee cuts gain traction By Dale White Sarasota Herald-Tribune Governments that long relied on impact fees charged to developers are backing off from charging the fees as a way to stimulate construction and the economy. Another top Florida DEP official is on the way out By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com The resignation of another top staffer has been accepted at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, creating another high-level vacancy under new DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard. LGBT Another step for equality for gays, lesbians Editorial Miami Herald If the name Janice Langbehn sounds familiar, it's because she made headlines in Miami in 2007 when a social worker at Jackson Memorial Hospital wouldn't allow Ms. Langbehn to visit her dying partner, Lisa Ponds, because Florida is “an anti-gay state.” EDUCATION Florida Gov. Rick Scott doesn't want to fix public education, he wants to destroy it By Alan Mathison TC Palm The new governor and his advisory team on education don't seem to care what respected studies or the law say about poverty, merit pay or vouchers, but they seem destined to try the opposite of what sound research says should work. Last Days to Lock-in Sunshine State's College Savings By Eric Mack Public News Service Florida Only a few days remain to lock in today's prices for tomorrow's college education. Stargel on FOX, CNN and Soon NBC By Bill Rufty Lakeland Ledger Rep. Kelli Stargel’s parental responsibility bill in schools is gaining her national attention even before the first workshop or hearing on the legislation. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Scott pushes tax cuts, says balanced budget possible By James Call WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee Governor Rick Scott said he intends to keep his campaign promise to cut taxes as part of his plan to create 700 thousand new jobs. FL Pensions in the Cross-hairs By Glen Gardner Public News Service Florida A Florida union leader hopes to debunk what he sees as myths about the state's public pensions system that are being circulated by some legislators. Texas lawmaker offers advice on Florida's burgeoning prison budget By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Both Gov. Rick Scott and legislative leaders have pledged to offset the state's nearly $4 billion budget shortfall with cuts to the prison system. Lawmakers renew efforts on property insurance bill Associated Press Lakeland Ledger Florida lawmakers are going back to work on a property insurance reform measure they believe will help state pay claims after a major hurricane or series of storms. Does selling state's two planes make financial sense? By Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune In less than three weeks, Gov. Rick Scott plans to make good on one of his signature campaign promises: selling off both the state's planes. HEALTH AND SENIORS New measures planned to fight Medicare fraud By Kelli Kennedy Associated Press Federal health officials announced new security measures Monday to combat Medicare fraud, including tougher screenings for providers and the ability to withhold payments during investigations. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Polarizing views clash at legislative hearing on immigration reform By Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Illegal immigration either costs or saves Floridians billions of dollars. Modern-day slaves' story repeats daily in plain sight By Audra D. S. Burch Miami Herald For up to 16 hours daily, they worked at posh country clubs across South Florida, then returned to deceptively quiet houses in Boca Raton where they were captives -- and in the most dreadful cases, fed rotten chicken and vegetables, forced to drink muriatic acid and repeatedly denied medical help. Rubio calls Roe v. Wade ‘tragic’ By William E. Gibson Orlando Sentinel Florida Senator Marco Rubio expressed solidarity with Monday’s anti-abortion demonstration in Washington, the 38th annual “March for Life.”