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Kathy Castor rallies support for Senate Medicaid plan

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U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is calling on Florida House Republicans to approve a plan to extend subsidized health coverage to 800,000 uninsured Floridians. During a press conference at the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, Castor rallied a couple of House Democrats, a union VP and a hospital representative in an attempt to demonstrate broad support for a Senate proposal that would draw down $51 billion in federal funding to pay for expanded health coverage for the working poor. The GOP-controlled…

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Senate Prez Andy Gardiner releases special session schedule: health care first, budget second

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There’s more than a week to go before the start of the 2015 special session but planning details continue to emerge. In a memo sent to senators, Senate President Andy Gardiner outlined the timeline that he plans on following during the session showing that the chamber will focus on healthcare access the first day. He will “likely” plan budget conferences with the House the weekend of June 5-7. “So you should plan on staying in Tallahassee,” Gardiner told members of…

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Now is not the time to back off healthcare access, Senate Prez Andy Gardiner tells members

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Senate President Andy Gardiner sent a memo to members on Thursday advising that the tentative $1 billion approval of Low Income Pool funds for fiscal year 2015-16 does not mean that Florida’s healthcare debate is over. In fact, it’s the opposite. “The news brings certainty to what we have known for over a year–the LIP program is changing and Florida needs a new way to address uncompensated care,” Gardner said in his memo to members. The Centers for Medicare and…

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Budget details emerge after top lawmakers meet informally in Tallahassee

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After an acrimonious and abrupt ending to this year’s session, Florida legislative leaders are beginning to finally piece together a framework for a new state budget and avoid a possible state government shutdown. Some of that framework was discussed in an all-day meeting Wednesday between state Sen. Tom Lee and state Rep. Richard Corcoran. Gov. Rick Scott for more than a week has pushed the idea of a “base” continuation budget but Senate Appropriations Chairman Lee told Florida Politics on Wednesday night that…

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Where fundraising races stand in Tampa Bay area 2016 legislative contests

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Voting in Florida state races is now just under 18 months away, with a June special session and the 2016 Regular Session thrown in for good measure. Nevertheless, political campaigns statewide are starting to gear up, as the campaign cash begins to flow in earnest. Here’s where things stand through April 30 in fundraising races across the Tampa Bay region, according to the Florida Division of Elections’ website: Senate District 17 State Sen. John Legg, who has been raising money for…

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Speaker and Senate president agree to special session dates

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Florida lawmakers will return to the state Capitol June 1 for a special session. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and Senate President Andy Gardiner have agreed to call a special session for June 1-June 20. In a joint memo to the Legislature, Crisafulli and Gardiner said a schedule needs to be finalized and that a proclamation will be issued soon. “While significant discussions lay before us, today marks a very good day for Florida as we have reached agreement on dates…

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Gov. Scott says he’ll call special session if legislators don’t act

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The clock is ticking on Florida’s 2015-2016 budget, and prospects of a compromise are getting dimmer. As of Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) had not responded to a new proposal from the state agency responsible for Medicaid, submitted to the federal government for nearly $2.2 billion in health-care funding known as the Low Income Pool. The proposal would have given lawmakers time to finish the state’s budget by the end of the fiscal year June 30.…

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