Latest on the legislative staffing merry-go-round
With a tip of the hat to LobbyTools, here are the latest movements – both on and off – of the legislative merry-go-round.
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House beats back effort to allow smoking of medical marijuana
A change to the Special Session’s medical marijuana legislation that would have allowed patients to smoke it was handily defeated Thursday. The amendment offered by Rep. Evan Jenne, a Dania Beach Democrat, was killed on the House floor by a vote of 37-71. “If a doctor and a patient determine that (smoking) is the best way to alleviate pain, or whatever it might be, then that should be left up to them,” he told reporters after the House’s daily session. “In any…
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Rick Scott says he’s ‘reviewing’ whether to call medical marijuana special session
Gov. Rick Scott did not close the door entirely on a special session on medical marijuana, telling reporters his office was reviewing his options. “I know there’s a lot of people involved and interested in the issue,” said Scott, following a stop in Fort Myers on Tuesday morning. Scott said a special session was “something we’re reviewing.” The comments come as calls for a special session to pass rules governing medical marijuana implementation continue to mount. More than a dozen…
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House Appropriations Committee clears medical marijuana bill, despite concerns from advocates
A House panel cleared the lower chamber’s medical marijuana implementing bill, despite continued concerns from advocates who said the measure doesn’t go far enough. The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill (HB 1397) by Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues that would implement the 2016 medical marijuana constitutional amendment. The proposal now heads to the Health & Human Services Committee, the final stop before a vote of the full House. The bill, among other things, calls for a 90-day waiting period before…
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Senate Finance & Tax Appropriations Committee OK’s ‘tampon tax’ exemption
A bill to repeal the so-called “tampon tax” cleared another hurdle, passing a key Senate appropriations committee Wednesday. The Senate Finance and Tax Appropriations Subcommittee approved a proposal (SB 176) to make feminine hygiene products, like tampons, exempt from state sales and use tax. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, now heads to the full Appropriations Committee. Only a handful — including Maryland, including Maryland, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania — have created a tax exemption for these products, according to a June…
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Brad Drake, Blaise Ingoglia want lying candidates pay some type of price
During your average election cycle in Florida (and around the country), there are always some egregious examples of dirty campaigning. Sometimes, they can decide an election. Examples abound, but generally, there is little recourse for an injured candidate, other than to try to rebut the negative message via advertising or comments to the media. Brad Drake thinks that’s wrong, and he’d like to do something about it. At Thursday’s House Oversight, Transparency & Administration Subcommittee, the DeFuniak Springs Republican asked state election officials what recourse…
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Lawmakers could tackle “tampon tax” in 2017
Florida could be the latest state to consider repealing the “tampon tax.” Rep. Katie Edwards filed a bill in November that would exempt tampons and other feminine hygiene products from Florida’s sales tax. The Plantation Democrat said she began thinking about the filing a bill last year, after listening to a debate about a wide-ranging tax cut package and receiving “periods are not luxury emails.” “The more I listened to the debate and the questions … (I thought) this is…
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