http://www.miamiherald.com/458/index.html http://media.miamiherald.com/images/logos/rss_sitelogo.gif http://www.miamiherald.com/458/index.html 140 25 News, sports and entertainment from MiamiHerald.com en-us Copyright 2008 MiamiHerald.com Legislature 60 Thu, 15 May 2008 21:47:24 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's PubSys miamifeedback@miamiherald.com http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/533728.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/533728.html Thu, 15 May 2008 03:01 EDT Marco Rubio has given himself a first-ever grade for a Florida House Speaker: 57. Rubio and his backers say that in his two years leading the state House, he was able to pass 57 of the proposals in his 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future initiative. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/528806.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/528806.html Sun, 11 May 2008 03:01 EDT Before Miami-Dade's political players stepped up to the plate for the 60-day legislative session, they knew the stats were stacked against them. There was $5 billion less in the state's coffers, five legislators on their way out because of term limits, and a bevy of public agencies lobbying for the least amount of budget cuts. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/528796.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/528796.html Sun, 11 May 2008 00:01 EDT This was supposed to be a golden era for South Florida, an unprecedented four-year period of political power where lawmakers with ties to Miami-Dade and Broward counties -- and the clout to bring the area money and push for local priorities -- were firmly in charge of the Florida Legislature. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/528778.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/528778.html Sun, 11 May 2008 03:01 EDT Faced with $5 billion in cuts to the state budget, Broward lawmakers spent most of their time in Tallahassee this year playing defense as they tried to block deep cuts to county schools, hospitals and courts. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/507417.html http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/507417.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:11 EDT With a wink and nod, the House approved two proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday to ask voters to drastically cut taxes in Florida -- knowing a reluctant Senate won't go along because it wants to wait until the billions of tax cuts made last year take effect. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/489887.html http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/489887.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:55 EDT Property taxes may not have dropped like a rock, but a measure to set in stone a 1.35 percent yearly cap in the growth of all future property-tax bills got hearings in the House and Senate on Wednesday. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/482279.html http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/property_tax/story/482279.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:07 EDT Voters may face multiple tax proposals on ballot The state citizen panel with the power to put constitutional amendments on the ballot nears the end of its once-every-20-years review of state tax policy Friday with a packed agenda that may put as many as nine more proposals before voters in November. http://www.miamiherald.com/1275/story/480505.html http://www.miamiherald.com/1275/story/480505.html Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:32 EDT About 130 people caught each year driving with suspended licenses could avoid state prison time under a plan approved Wednesday by a Senate committee to lessen penalties for the crime and free up prison space. http://www.miamiherald.com/1275/story/473055.html http://www.miamiherald.com/1275/story/473055.html Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:11 EDT In a move that one Miami nursing-home operator called a return to the ''dark ages,'' Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives want to suspend a state law that mandates how much care nursing-home patients must receive each day. http://www.miamiherald.com/1275/story/472149.html http://www.miamiherald.com/1275/story/472149.html Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:09 EDT Florida would stop providing hearing aids and dentures for poor people, limit Caesarean procedures for poor mothers, and eliminate jobs in the state agency responsible for protecting kids from child abuse under a far-reaching budget proposal unveiled Wednesday by the state Senate. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/520318.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/520318.html Sun, 04 May 2008 03:01 EDT A souring economy and a worrisome election year forced Florida's Republican-led Legislature to moderate its politics in the session that ended Friday because it had no other choice. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/520296.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/520296.html Sun, 04 May 2008 03:01 EDT His last moments in power ticking away, House Speaker Marco Rubio kneaded his forehead with his hands and turned his back to the rest of the chamber. It had happened again. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519227.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519227.html Sun, 04 May 2008 03:01 EDT Despite agonizing budget cuts that dominated debate during this year's legislative session, the business community said it fared relatively well, defeating a corporate-tax hike proposal, several insurance mandates and an arbitration bill that would have opened the door to lawsuits. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519246.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519246.html Sat, 03 May 2008 00:01 EDT In an agonizing last-minute decision that caused the Capitol rotunda to erupt in cheers, the Legislature signed off Friday on a plan that forces private insurance companies for the first time to cover kids with autism. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519251.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519251.html Sat, 03 May 2008 03:01 EDT Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles who climbed the political ranks to become Florida's first Cuban-American speaker of the state House of Representatives, bade an emotional farewell Friday afternoon, choking back tears as he spoke about his motivation to succeed: his parents. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519252.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519252.html Sat, 03 May 2008 03:01 EDT In the last day of the legislative session, Miami-Dade lawmakers went one-for-two on affordable housing bills they've pushed throughout the 60-day session. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519255.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519255.html Sat, 03 May 2008 03:01 EDT Tri-Rail riders may be facing no weekend service and a 60 percent cut in weekday trains in the fall, after the state Legislature failed Friday to pass a major commuter rail bill that jeopardizes funding for the South Florida train. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519292.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/519292.html Sat, 03 May 2008 00:01 EDT Florida lawmakers ended their annual session Friday by approving a tight-fisted state budget and stitching together plans to provide modest health coverage to kids with autism, the working poor and small businesses. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/527536.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/527536.html Fri, 02 May 2008 16:01 EDT Ten state lawmakers from Miami-Dade and Broward are leaving office this year. Here's a look at their tenure in the Legislature. http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/518572.html http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/518572.html Fri, 02 May 2008 12:20 EDT Florida lawmakers on Friday gave swift approval to a $66.2 billion state budget, sending a spending plan to Gov. Charlie Crist that cuts overall spending by a record $4 billion.