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Days after Attorney General Pam Bondi filed an appeal of District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling the Clemency Board must overhaul Florida’s voting rights restoration process for felons, Bondi and Gov. Rick Scott are unflinching in defense of their position. Ryan Dailey has more.    

Forty years ago, it seemed a given that Florida’s Old Capitol would soon be demolished.  But a focused grass-roots campaign saved the structure and resulted in the lovingly restored building that still symbolizes state government to millions of people.

After the February mass shooting that left 17 people dead in Parkland, are the voices of black students being heard fully in the gun violence debate?  Sascha Cordner digs into a complex issue to bring us more on that story.

The Presidents of Florida’s 28 state colleges have unified in support of a Constitution Revision Commission proposal that recognizes the college system in the constitution. Ryan Dailey reports college system stakeholders feel the move is long overdue.

Once again, the latest effort to reform Florida’s gun laws failed. It was in response to last month’s deadly mass school shooting in South Florida. As Sascha Cordner reports, as some clamored for an assault weapons ban and more background checks, Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission refused to take up any measures that would do that.

Four key Constitution Revision Commission proposals that could impact K-12 education are a step closer to being in front of voters in November. Ryan Dailey has the latest.

Within one week, Governor Rick Scott not only signed a gun safety bill into law, he also approved the budget, which includes millions of dollars for school safety purposes. Still, that didn’t prevent the National Rifle Association from filing a federal lawsuit against a provision in the new safety law. And, on the one month mark of the Parkland mass school shooting, thousands of kids across the nation walked out of their schools.

After passing the Florida legislature this week, Governor Rick Scott decided to sign the gun safety legislation into law. As Sascha Cordner reports, earlier in the week, he told reporters he’d wait before signing it, until he talked to the families who were impacted by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school.

Tom Flanigan wanders the Florida Capitol’s fourth floor to gauge the mood of this final scheduled day of Session.  He talks about it with the head of the state’s largest police union and a former veteran lawmaker.

Not all bills will make it through the annual legislative session, but this year, the impending failure of several high-profile measures is raising eyebrows both among lawmakers themselves, and others. Lynn Hatter reports.

Florida lawmakers are heading to conference in a last ditch effort to hammer out the differences in their gambling overhaul bills. Regan McCarthy has more....

The Florida legislative session is heading into overtime after a disagreement over how to fund hospitals stalled negotiations. But Lynn Hatter reports the two chambers reached an agreement Wednesday how to reimburse the facilities for treating low income and uninsured patients.

A measure to address Florida’s growing opioid crisis is nearing completion with just days left in the legislative session. Regan McCarthy has more....

The Florida House has now started discussions on gun safety legislation, in response to last month’s mass shooting at a South Florida high school. They agreed Tuesday to take up the Senate version of the bill that narrowly passed Monday. As Sascha Cordner reports, while language was stripped from that bill to exclude most classroom teachers, opponents argue the “compromise” could still arm school staff, like coaches.

The entire Florida Senate held a rare weekend meeting to hash out various responses to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.  To say that what came out of that meeting was definite would be a vast overstatement.  Indeed, senators were back at work today trying to lock down various details of their school safety proposal.  Even as this edition of Capital Report was being readied for air, the situation was extremely fluid.  And that’s pretty much the way the situation has been all along.  We flash back to last week when survivors of the school shooting and their families came to

411 Teen talks with Olivia Richman, a medical student who created a YouTube channel to make sex education fun, smart, and friendly.

Host: Dr. Liz Holifield

Original airdate: March 4, 2018 

The Common Sense team from the IB program at Rickards High School explores current national, state and local issues in politics and government.

Host: Dr. Liz Holifield

Original airdate:  March 11, 2018

Florida lawmakers are walking back some of the proposed cuts in their tax package. Regan McCarthy reports the move comes as lawmakers work to find more money in their budget for school safety initiatives.

While a lot of eyes are on lawmakers in Tallahassee to see how they handle the issue of gun reform, Florida’s U-S senators are also talking about what they’d like to see their congressional colleagues do, as we hear from Sascha Cordner.

With about a week left of the 2018 legislative session, lawmakers are facing increased pressure to pass gun safety legislation—in response to last month’s mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. But, as Sascha Cordner reports, the process is pitting people within the same parties against one another.

A week after one chamber of the Florida legislature accused the other of stonewalling, both sides are coming together to do the one thing that must be done each year—pass a budget. Lynn Hatter reports lawmakers are starting to lay the groundwork for bringing the legislative session in for a landing on time.

A number of public safety proposals have passed their first House committee. Like the Senate version bill, it does not include an assault weapons ban. Still, as Sascha Cordner reports, more people are starting to agree that while this isn’t the best bill, it’s not totally bad either.

A measure that would expand Florida’s rules on issuing threats is moving forward. Regan McCarthy reports officials are pointing to the many copycat threats made following the school shooting in Parkland as a reason for why the change is needed. 

The Aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting has flipped Florida’s Legislature, changing its focus to debates on firearms and school safety. Supporters of gun reform rallied outside the Capitol Monday with one clear message: action. Andrew Quintana reports.

Several gun safety proposals passed their first Florida Senate committee. As Sascha Cordner reports, while top GOP lawmakers are calling the effort bipartisan, some of the Democrats who are pushing for more gun reforms don’t quite see things that way.

Taylor Biro, Outreach Director with CCYS, and several youth clients talk with 411 Teen on the services offered to the public by CCYS.

Host: Dr. Liz Holifield

Original airdate: February 25, 2018