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2015 legislative session - page 5

Day 1 with Andy Gardiner: Medicaid, greyhounds, water and a ‘long way to go’

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Senate President Andy Gardiner spoke with reporters for about 10 minutes Tuesday after the Senate adjourned its first session of the 2015 legislative session. The discussion highlighted the differences separating the House and Senate as they begin writing a state budget and addressing other priorities. While the Senate is focused on prison reform, providing access to health care for the uninsured and new regulations for greyhound racing, the House priorities include a gambling initiative, water policy and changes to the…

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Florida restaurant and hotel lobby blasts Dana Young’s new gaming bill

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The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association — a group with outsized importance in our state’s tourism-centric economy — issued a statement Tuesday excoriating the proposal released yesterday by House Majority Leader Dana Young. “We will continue to fight this legislation, along with any other measure that seeks to expand gambling under the false pretense that it will bring additional jobs, attract more tourists, and increase Florida’s tax base,” said FRLA President and CEO Carol Dover. “Florida currently enjoys record number of tourists,…

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2015 Awake the State rallies take on a quieter tone

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Progressive activists across the state are calling on the Florida Legislature to take up five key issues voted on by supporters of the group Progress Florida. During a rally at Spa Beach near the downtown St. Pete Pier, about 20 members of the community announced their agenda that includes raising the minimum wage, expanding health care and Medicaid, ensuring access to clean water and energy and reforming campaign finance laws. “We want to put the progressive agenda in the forefront,” said…

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Email insights: Democrats blow the dog whistle for 2015 session

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Hours away from the start of the annual 60-day legislative session, and the Florida Democratic Party already has a prediction. For them, it is as if the next two months will never happen. “Empty words for middle class, handouts for special interests,” leads the latest FDP email blast to supporters, blowing the Democratic dog whistle only minutes before Gov. Rick Scott takes the podium for his traditional State of the State address. As the ceremonial gavel falls, both chambers of the Florida Capitol…

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House Speaker Steve Crisafulli issues opening statement for 2015 session

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With a message of hope for the next 60 days, Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli issued his official statement this morning to open the 2015 legislative session. Borrowing its theme from Florida’s 19th Century State Motto – “Leave Us Alone” — the Broward County Republican said he was glad the state turned away from its “get off my lawn” attitude of 1845, instead opening its arms to the millions of visitors that are the heart of tourism, the Sunshine State’s largest…

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Progressives to rally statewide Tuesday for alternative legislative agenda

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As the legislative session kicks off Tuesday, a progressive group is coming together in communities across the state to put forth a more progressive agenda than what has been seen in the overwhelmingly conservative Legislature. The group Progress Florida is organizing statewide rallies called “Awake the State” for the fifth year in a row as the 2015 session gets underway. The group will unveil its list of five legislative priorities during a noon-time rally at the state Capitol in Tallahassee…

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Personnel note: Ballard Partners adds legislative expert Jessica Baker

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Florida lobbying house Ballard Partners announced today it is adding legislative expert Jessica Baker to its team based out of Jacksonville and Tallahassee. Baker, a graduate of Florida State University College of Law, will be working out of the Jacksonville office and in Tallahassee during the 2015 legislative session, which begins tomorrow. Ballard President Brian Ballard cited Baker’s legal insight and knowledge of the legislative process, adding that she will become a “vital resource” for clients. “She’ll be a great…

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