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Florida Senate panel moves bill to add pregnant women as protected class

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Under current law, pregnant workers are supposed to be protected from being fired, turned down for employment, or otherwise discriminated against just because they’re pregnant. But it still happens. Here in Florida, state law protects many different groups of people from discrimination, but one group not currently part of that protected class is pregnant women. That would change under a bill being sponsored by Orlando Democratic state Sen. Geraldine Thompson. This morning in the Senate Rules Committee, the panel unanimously approved her…

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Bill aimed to make HIV testing easier passes Senate committee

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A bill that would make it much easier for doctors to test patients for the HIV virus made its way through a Florida Senate committee on Wednesday. The measure (SB 512) is sponsored by Orlando Democrat Geraldine Thompson. She said it would eliminate paperwork that “burdens doctors” when they test in a health screening, such as for glucose or diabetes. The patient would have the prerogative to opt out if they did not want to be tested. The Florida Hospital…

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Key plaintiff pulls out of voucher lawsuit

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The Florida Association of School Administrators — a major plaintiff and arguably the least overtly political — has pulled out of a lawsuit challenging the legality of Florida’s corporate tax credit scholarship program. “Following a full review of priorities, the Board made the decision to focus resources on FASA’s main objective -– to ensure that the quality of administrative leadership within our schools continues to make Florida’s graduates competitive worldwide,” said FASA executive director Juhan Mixon in a statement Friday. “Having made…

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Cities, counties say bill would stick them with costs for moving roadside utilities

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A Senate bill that shifts from utilities to local government the cost of moving power lines and other utilities in easements for roadway expansions passed a Senate committee on Monday despite opposition from local governments. SB 896 by state Sen. Jeff Brandes, a Republican from St. Petersburg, was prompted by a dispute between the city of Cape Coral and the Lee County Electric Cooperative. In 2013, the city sued the electric cooperative in an attempt to recoup millions of dollars spent on moving utilities…

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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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Across legislative landscape, Democrats still face long odds

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Out of power for more than a decade in Tallahassee, Florida Democrats failed to field challengers for 33 of the 76 GOP-held House seats this year, even though voter-registration trends have made many of them more favorable for the minority party. Reps. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood; Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island; Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland; and John Legg, R-New Port Richey, have already won re-election without a fight. Democratic Rep. Geraldine Thompson of Orlando has also won another two-year term without opposition. In other seats, a Democratic…

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Florida House Democrats ask to re-schedule special session out of concern for conference of the National Black Caucus

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Update – 10:39 a.m. – Rep. Ron Saunders asks to be excused from special session (memorandum after the break). Update – 11:08 p.m. – Late word coming down that Florida House Democrats plan to boycott the special session on Thursday and Friday. Dear Speaker Cretul: Upon reading the call for a special session on rail transit, we bring urgent concerns about the decision to conduct House committee meetings and floor sessions on Thursday and Friday, December 3 and 4. As…

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