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HB 169

House panel votes down revision to ‘stand your ground’ law

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A push to change Florida’s contentious “stand your ground” law may be dead for the coming year. A Florida House panel on Tuesday narrowly voted against a measure sponsored by Rep. Dennis Baxley that would change the law. The Ocala Republican wanted to require that prosecutors prove a defendant was not acting in self-defense when that person is asking for immunity. Baxley said the change was needed to respond to recent court rulings. The National Rifle Association backed the bill…

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Dennis Baxley files bill to aid self-defense claimants

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State Rep. Dennis Baxley — father of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law — filed a bill Tuesday that would tweak the state’s self-defense statutes. Baxley’s newly filed HB 169 is designed to enhance the legal standing of defendants who claim they acted in self-defense while using or threatening to use deadly force in a dispute. The bill would shift the legal burden of proof away from the person employing a self-defense claim in court — as current law provides — onto “the party seeking to…

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Senate committee chair seeks to ban fracking during study

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An amendment that was filed Monday — and later withdrawn — by the chairman of a Senate committee would have placed a ban on state permits for oil and gas fracking until a study of the practice can be completed in 2016. SB 1468 by Sen. Garrett Richter, a Republican from Bradenton, requires the state to develop rules for permitting “high-pressure well-stimulation,” which includes hydraulic fracturing — also called fracking. The bill is scheduled to be considered Tuesday by the Senate Committee…

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Fracking bills pass House panel after testy exchanges

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House bills that involve oil and gas “fracking” passed their first committee stop with support from some environmental groups and opposition from others and tense questioning by state Rep. Ray Pilon. HB 1205 would establish a permitting program for hydraulic fracturing and acid fracturing, which are processes used to extract oil and gas from rock. HB 1209 would provide a public records law exemption for companies that submit information on their fracking operations. Last week, Tallahassee and Leon County joined…

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With environmental issues looming, Alan Hays won’t haggle over Amendment 1 spending

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With industry and environmental groups sparring over what qualifies for spending under Amendment 1, the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees environmental spending says he won’t haggle over the issue. Amendment 1, the water and land conservation funding initiative approved by voters in November, will be a focus of the 2015 legislative session starting Tuesday. The initiative will provide an estimated $757 million toward eligible programs in fiscal year 2015-16. It’s just one issue in what is shaping up…

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