FSBA FridayFive – 3/24/17
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Florida Senate advances bill that tries to limit ‘gotcha’ public records lawsuits
The Florida Senate on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a compromise proposal aimed at cracking down on “gotcha” public records requests while preserving the attorney fees leverage the public has against public officials who violate Florida’s Sunshine laws. Read More
FSBA Session Spotlight — March 23, 2017
While there is certainly enough going on in the Legislative Session to keep us focused on Tallahassee, some recent events on the federal government level present issues that are competing for attention. Below are updates on several federal issues. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): Earlier this month, Congress repealed the ESSA Accountability and State Plan…
FSBA Session Spotlight — March 22, 2017
As we near the mid-way point of the Legislative Session, several bills of interest are completing the process of being considered by the committees and subcommittees to which the bills have been referred and are making their way onto the Calendar for consideration on the chamber floor. For those who are unfamiliar with the legislative…
FSBA Session Spotlight — March 21, 2017
The Senate Education Committee held a Workshop this afternoon that included a review of several Senate bills relating to assessment and accountability. During the Workshop, each bill sponsor provided an overview of their bill, but there was no substantive debate or discussion of any of the bills and no votes were taken. Even so, the…
FSBA Session Spotlight — March 20, 2017
The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) held its initial meeting today. The meeting was mostly organizational in nature — members took the Oath of Office, received ethics training, and were given a quick overview of the suggested revised Rules under which the Commission will operate. In addition, CRC Chair Carlos Beruff announced the schedule for the…
Lottery rakes in cash but fewer students, particularly poor ones, make cut for scholarships
Gabriela Fowler has a 4.7 GPA, takes college-level calculus and statistics courses, and is the president of her school’s business leadership club. But for the 17-year-old Hialeah High senior, a college scholarship funded by the record-setting revenues of the Florida Lottery somehow remains out of reach. Read More
Florida Senate plans to dive into assessment, accountability issues
For all the talk that Florida’s 2017 legislative session would focus on higher education, giving K-12 a breather, the climate is shaping up for potentially major changes to the state’s Jeb Bush-era test-based accountability system. The latest signal: The Senate Education Committee has scheduled a workshop for Tuesday, where it will tackle ideas in seven bills…
Florida revenue forecast rises, but legislators still looking to cut budget
The Legislature will have slightly more cash than last year to build next year’s budget. But debate this year between the two chambers will remain over ways to cover critical costs, pass a tax cut plan and prevent future revenue shortfalls. Read More
FSBA Session Spotlight — March 17, 2017
The second week of the 2017 Legislative Session has seen several bills of interest moving forward in the legislative process. You may wish to review the daily issues of the FSBA Session Spotlight for more details but, for a quick and comprehensive review of this week’s activities, please be sure to watch the FSBA Legislative…