Plans to expand education options for people with disabilities passed the Senate Wednesday with a unanimous vote. The measures are a priority for Senate President Andy Gardiner, who was moved to tears at the bill’s passage. Kate Payne reports.
Helping young human trafficking victims and making sure juveniles get the help they need are among the legislative goals of two state agencies that deal with children. Sascha Cordner reports.
The Senate unanimously approved a massive rewrite of Florida’s water regulations after Democrats tried unsuccessfully to strengthen it. Supporters are calling it a landmark for the Everglades and the state’s 39 major freshwater springs, but critics say it won’t change much. Jim Ash has more.
Republican state lawmakers are taking aim at Florida’s so-called sanctuary cities. Nick Evans reports a measure requiring local governments to comply with federal immigration agencies passed its first committee Wednesday.
The children of legal immigrants could soon gain access to the state’s KidCare program. KidCare offers subsidized health insurance to low- and middle-income families, and as Lynn Hatter reports, it has taken several years to get through the legislature.
Since 2005, most state workers in Florida have paid $50 dollars a month for individual coverage, or $180 dollars a month for their family. And for more than a decade, lawmakers have tried, and failed, to make changes to the state employee group insurance plans. As Lottie Watts with Health News Florida explains, a state representative is going to try again this session.
While the billion-and-a-half dollar PowerBall jackpot is on many peoples’ minds of millions of people tonight (Wednesday), Regan McCarthy reports Florida lawmakers have been laser-focused on their own state’s lottery program.