Daily News Clips for April 16, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Shunning federal money, Florida House adopts plan that covers one-tenth as many poor as Senate
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A House panel approved a health coverage plan Monday that shuns billions of dollars in federal aid available for low-income Floridians, while also sharply dividing the state’s Republican leaders.

Proposed Florida voting changes stoke new concerns
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Say the words "fraud," "Miami" and "grand jury" in the same breath, and you're going to get people's attention in Tallahassee.

Scott’s Warning to Dems: He Could Win in 2014
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott ran the numbers on his re-election prospects the other day, and, although he may have been off by a few hundred-thousand voters, the governor made a pretty plausible case that he can win.

Senators release immigration plan details
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
After months of private negotiations, a group of senators are set to reveal sweeping legislation that dramatically shifts immigration policy away from the family based system to one based on work skills.

Florida lawmakers react to Boston bombings
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio: “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today’s bombing at the Boston Marathon, the brave first responders who rushed to the scene to help others and the entire city of Boston.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Sen. Jack Latvala raises doubts over Sen. Maria Sachs’ residency
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
State Sen. Maria Sachs, a Boca Raton Democrat, came under fire from the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee on Monday for her decision to rent a condominium from Judith Stern, a Broward political consultant, and her daughter, as her means of establishing residency in the county.

Fla. Senate may fail to confirm some Scott picks
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Some appointments by Florida Gov. Rick Scott appear in jeopardy of getting passed up this year by the Florida Senate.

Rubio Raises $2.28 Million in First Quarter
By David M. Drucker
Roll Call
Sen. Marco Rubio raised $2.28 million during the first quarter across three affiliated political committees, CQ Roll Call has learned.

West sends another $400k in leftover campaign cash to Allen West Foundation
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West gave $400,000 of leftover campaign money to the nonprofit Allen West Foundation, according to a Federal Election Commission report filed today.

Keep it public
Editorial
Miami Herald
Every year the Florida Legislature can’t seem to resist whittling away at the state’s public records laws.  

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Senate committee grills, then approves, Edgar for third term on PSC
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee grilled Public Service Commissioner Lisa Edgar about the regulatory board's role in charging customers a nuclear cost fee Monday and then voted to unanimously to approve her for a third term.

Protesters oppose compromise over new Florida water-quality standards
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Shouting "polluters must pay," two dozen environmental activists marched Monday outside the local office of state Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, as part of statewide protests aimed at derailing legislation described by protesters as weakening Florida's water-pollution limits.

Proposed amendment would ban new local fertilizer ordinances for three years
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A proposed bill amendment would ban local governments from enacting new fertilizer ordinances while a panel is appointed to study the issue.

Ethanol gasoline becoming a corny issue for Florida consumers
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
When you gas up your car, you’ve probably noticed that sign on the pump disclosing that as much as 10 percent of the gasoline you’re buying is really ethanol.

Breaking rules, hurting environment
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Regulators who break the rules cannot be trusted with enforcing them.

LGBT

Young activists demand U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio include LGBT people, couples in immigration reform
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Ten young South Florida protesters on Monday called on U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to include gay and lesbian people in an immigration reform package set to be unveiled Tuesday.

EDUCATION

Michelle Rhee pushes the parent trigger in Tallahassee
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Despite mounting criticism over a possible cheating scandal in Washington, D.C., education activist Michelle Rhee was in Tallahassee Monday to discuss a flurry of schools-related proposals in Florida.

Florida Education Association to sue state over teacher evaluations
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
The details are still sketchy, but the Florida Education Association announced Monday afternoon that it will file suit Tuesday against Florida education commissioner Tony Bennett, the State Board of Education and three school boards over the implementation of new teacher evaluations.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Tax Day protests in Tampa and St. Pete blast wealthy corporations that evade taxes
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Tampa
Wealthy corporations have access to tax loopholes that many individuals and small businesses can’t get.

Competing state-worker pay raise plans offer different advantages
By Arek Sarkissian II
Tallahassee Democrat
The Senate is likely to adopt a hybrid plan for state-worker raises similar to one already passed by the House.

Foreclosure bill clears hurdle
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Lawmakers rammed a controversial fast-track foreclosure bill through a second Senate committee Tuesday, limiting debate on legislation critics say weakens legal protections for homeowners.

Vote margin on Citizens bill close as consumer advocates turn up pressure
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on SB 1770 which could boost rates for new customers of state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., but consumer advocate groups are mounting pressure on senators on a bill where the vote margin is already close.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Showdown looms in Legislature over health care plans
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
They gathered in the speaker's office Monday to pray and to read aloud the stories of poor, uninsured Floridians.

Don't shun federal help in expanding health care
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
If lack of health insurance were a disease, it would be considered a pandemic in Florida.

Employer-sponsored health insurance declines
Staff Report
Ft. Myers News-Press
The percent of U.S. nonelderly population with employee-sponsored health insurance has dropped.

Villages nursing home bill advances
By James Call
Florida Current
A Senate committee Monday approved a proposal that would relax rules on building new nursing homes.

Senate committee calls for a Baker Act study instead of expanding nurse practitioner role
By Rochelle Koff
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The state's nurse practitioners were hopeful that a Senate vote on Monday would bring them one step closer to what they see as a crucial need in Florida's mental health care system: having the authority to initiate involuntary examinations under the Baker Act.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Immigration Overhaul Proposal Is Likely to Ignite Fierce Debate
By Ashley Parker
New York Times
The introduction of sweeping immigration legislation on Tuesday is likely to ignite a months-long battle between those who want citizenship for the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants and opponents who view such an approach as amnesty.