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Capital Report: 11-22-2019

Sunshine State lawmakers are looking into a revamp of the state’s mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for low-level drug users. Some say the move could save the state money and cut down on recidivism. Others argue the current system works as a deterrent and helps to keep crime at bay. Regan McCarthy has more….

Ahead of the 2020 election, a federal judge in Florida ruled against a 70-year-old law placing the party controlling the governor’s mansion first on ballots. Ryan Dailey spoke with a professor of constitutional law who breaks down the ruling.

Activists want Florida to be the 16th state to ban conversion therapy. The practice is known for trying to change someone from gay to straight. Awareness of LGBTQ issues is on the rise, however, the community is still not widely accepted. Robbie Gaffney reports in Florida—the clash is apparent.

Hate crimes have been a growing concern in recent years. The FBI’s most recent data, for 2018, shows a small dip in Florida – but it follows years of rising issues. And hate crimes aren’t always easy to prosecute – some categories don’t fall under the hate crime umbrella at all in Florida.  From WLRN in Miami, Madeline Fox sat down with David Barkey. to talk about hate crime legislation at the Anti-Defamation League’s South Florida office. He helped craft a bill to improve Florida’s hate crime law that was filed last week for the 2020 session.

Governor Ron DeSantis will have to make two new appointments to the Florida Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate recently okayed moving two Florida justices to federal court positions. The Judicial Nominating Commission is the Florida group in charge of vetting applications before sending a list of names to the Governor. Blaise Gainey spoke with Leon County Attorney Jason Unger about the process of hiring new judges.

Flu season is underway and the opposition to immunizations by some could put more people – especially older and younger folks – at increased risk.  Tom Flanigan has that story.