State News

A measure aiming to make it a separate criminal offense to cause the injury or death of an unborn child is heading to the House floor.

Seminole Republican Representative Larry Ahern says his bill called “the Florida Unborn Victims of Violence Act” is about justice. He says too many times, a woman and her unborn child are victims of violence, which end in death for the both of them. But, the perpetrator is only convicted of killing the mother.

Hispanic Democratic Florida lawmakers are rallying to change state professional-licensing requirements after the Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday undocumented immigrants cannot be admitted to the Florida Bar as lawyers. At the same time, undocumented students called on President Barack Obama to push federal immigration reform as he visited Miami today.

Taxes on hurricane supplies and defense contractors interested in locating in Florida would be scuttled under bills that received a first hearing Thursday.

The state has inaugurated several sales tax “holidays” in recent years and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach) wants to add another on hurricane preparedness supplies.

On Thursday, fellow House member John Tobia (R-Melbourne Beach) asked how much an average generator costs and how Gaetz chose to tax only those generators which cost more than $700.

A series of gun-related measures are now heading for floor votes, including a House bill aimed at revising Florida schools’ zero tolerance policies. Both chambers are also expected to take up a measure that seeks to protect gun owners from insurance discrimination.

"Pop Tart" Gun Bill

More than 200 Floridians serving life in prison for crimes they committed as minors could get new sentencing hearings, depending on how the state Supreme Court rules on a case it heard today. The court must decide whether a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision applies retroactively to previously sentenced juveniles.