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Ryan Ray - page 86

Ryan Ray has 632 articles published.

Ryan Ray writes about campaigns and public policy in Tampa Bay and across the state. A contributor to FloridaPolitics.com and before that, The Florida Squeeze, he covers the Legislature as a member of the Florida Capitol Press Corps and has worked as a staffer on several campaigns. He can be reached at [email protected].

Senate Health Policy Committee files Medicaid expansion proposal

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After hearing yesterday from a panel of Florida health care experts as well as some from Indiana Gov. Mike Pence‘s administration, the Senate Health Policy Committee led by Chairman Sen. Aaron Bean has filed a proposal Thursday night to accept federal funds to extend Medicaid coverage to Florida’s nearly 1 million uninsured. The plan would create a Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange Program, or FHIX, under the auspices of the Agency for Health Care Administration. The plan includes many tenets of the Hoosier state’s plan,…

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AIF group lauds passage of Florida House water bill

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The Florida H2O Coalition — a water policy vehicle backed by Associated Industries of Florida — applauded today’s action by the Florida House of Representatives to pass HB 7003, a sprawling piece of water legislation aimed at protecting ecologically sensitive waterways. “Today, the Florida House took a giant step forward in adopting a policy that will better prepare Florida for current and future water challenges,” said AIF Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs Brewster Bevis in a Thursday statement. “HB 7003 creates…

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Health care expansion or not, Safety Net Hospitals fared well in 2014

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Despite difficult economic times over the last few years and an obstinate stance against Medicaid expansion among the Florida House majority, you might expect safety-net hospitals to struggle to turn a profit. Not so, according to Phil Galewitz in Kaiser Health News: So-called safety-net hospitals, many of which are supported by local or county taxpayers, often struggle financially because they see a high proportion of patients that are either uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid, the state-federal program that pays less money…

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Florida ABLE act moves swiftly through House, Senate panels

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A slate of proposals to create a new statewide framework for assisting people with intellectual disabilities made progress in both chambers of the Legislature Wednesday. SB 7030 and HB 935, sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Ray Rodrigues respectively were unanimously passed by House Children, Families & Seniors and Senate Education Appropriations. “Establishing the Florida ABLE Act is part of a larger effort by the Legislature this session to support a path to economic independence for individuals with unique abilities,” said Rodrigues in…

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Brandes-Fitzenhagen gun bill passes committees with limited opposition

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A matching pair of proposals to allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a permitduring certain emergency situations passed committees in both legislative chambers on Wednesday. First up was Ft. Myers Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen‘s HB 493, which passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee by a vote of 9-2, with Democratic Reps. Clovis Watson and Randolph Bracy dissenting. Before the vote Fitzenhagen amended her bill to create a 48-hour time limit on the bill’s exemption to concealed-carry statutes during evacuations, with a provision that allows the governor…

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Florida Chamber poll shows voters bullish on state government, less so on feds

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A new poll released today by the Florida Chamber of Commerce suggests that while voters are growing more confident in the direction the state is going, they still have deep reservations about the federal government’s stewardship. “Our results show Floridians are more confident in Florida’s economy,” said Marian Johnson, senior vice president of political strategy at the Chamber. “These signs of optimism are good for our economy, for our families and for our small businesses. Despite the gridlock in Washington DC, this…

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Bills to move back presidential primaries zoom through committee

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Two proposed committee bills to move back the date of Florida’s presidential primaries have sailed through legislative committees in as many days. The House version of the proposal, PCB RCEC 15-05, was introduced and approved in the House Rules Calendar & Ethics Committee without questions or debate in under three minutes on Monday, resulting in one of the fastest gavel-to-gavel hearings this observer has ever seen. In Senate Ethics & Elections, there was slightly more discussion, but not much. SPB 7036 was…

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