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Gary Fineout - page 21

Gary Fineout has 257 articles published.

Florida judge throws out lawsuit against voucher program

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Backers of Florida’s largest private-school voucher program scored a significant victory Monday in an increasingly bitter legal battle. Circuit Judge George Reynolds tossed out a lawsuit that contended that the program that serves nearly 70,000 students across the state by placing them in private and mostly religious schools is unconstitutional. Reynolds ruled that the groups filing the lawsuit did not have a legal right, or “standing,” to challenge the program. He also ruled that the groups, which included both the…

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ICYMI: Legislators agree to do budget, health care during session

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Florida’s Republican-led Legislature will return to the state Capitol in June and try to do what they couldn’t do during their 60-day session that crashed to a halt. GOP legislative leaders announced late on Friday that they have come up with a long list of items they want to tackle during a 20-day special session, including a new state budget and even major healthcare changes. The most pressing item is the budget since state government could be shut down if…

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Top Florida legislators work on budget deal

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Although no deal was reached, Sen. Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican, said that a “fair amount of progress” was made during the discussions between the House and Senate budget chiefs at the Capitol. “It was super productive,” said Rep. Richard Corcoran, a Land O’Lakes Republican. “I think today we moved the ball down the field tremendously. We are moving to resolution.” The pressure is mounting for legislators to reach a budget deal. State government could be shut down if a…

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Florida’s hurricane insurance fund strong for storm season

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Florida’s nine-year streak of avoiding hurricanes is helping the state reach a historic milestone: for the first time ever, the state-created fund designed to help pay out claims after storms has enough cash and assets on hand to pay off everything it could owe. New estimates show the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund should have $17 billion available for the Atlantic hurricane season that starts June 1. “The money is there and it’s in our pocket,” said Jack Nicholson, the chief…

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Florida legislators push bills tied to their private jobs

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During the recently-concluded legislative session, Senate President Andy Gardiner constantly warned about the threat to the state’s hospitals if they were to lose more than $1 billion that now comes from the federal government. There’s a good reason Gardiner understands hospitals: he works for one. Gardiner’s employment is legal, but it highlights a common practice in the Florida Legislature. Many legislators have places where their professional lives and legislative work overlap. The Florida Legislature is a “part-time” job that pays…

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Court order brings acrimonious legislative session to close

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A last-ditch effort to force the Florida Legislature back to work floundered on Friday after the state’s highest court ruled that there would be no “beneficial result” to force the state House to reconvene. The Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the lawsuit filed by state Senate Democrats that asked the court to order the House to return to the Capitol. The House had abruptly adjourned Tuesday amid a hardening stalemate with the Senate over a new state budget and…

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Florida House to court: Ending session early is legal

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Florida’s Republican-controlled House on Friday gave a sharply worded response to the state’s high court on whether it had the power to shut down the annual session earlier this week. Democrats in the state Senate filed a lawsuit that contended the House violated the state Constitution when it adjourned more than three days before the scheduled ending date. But the House filed legal papers defending its actions, while at the same time questioning whether the Florida Supreme Court even has…

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