MiamiHerald.com: Political Currents

House approves $69 billion state budget

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:29 EST

Amid complaint from Democrats, the Republican-dominated state House approved a $69 billion budget. Next up: the state Senate.

Bills to revamp high school sports spark debate

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:27 EST

A pair of proposals would dramatically change the structure of high school sports in Florida.

Top Miami-area mayors to lunch with gay activists, business people

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:45 EST

Four of the most powerful mayors in Miami-Dade County will meet Thursday for lunch with the state’s leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political and business activists.

Miami-Dade commissioner defers plan to give up power on airport bids

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:12 EST

County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro delayed, for the time being, his proposal to allow the current aviation department director to award and negotiate contracts under $5 million.

Legislators reject attempt to clarify state’s regulation of slot machines

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:49 EST

While holes in state gambling laws threaten payments from the Seminoles, legislators rejected regulators’ bid for more powers.

Former state Sen. Mandy Dawson to plead guilty to income tax evasion

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

Former Broward state Sen. Mandy Dawson plans to plead guilty in a federal case that accuses her of income tax evasion, according to court records filed Monday.

Ex-South Florida politician to plead guilty to tax charges in federal corruption probe

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:52 EST

Former Fort Lauderdale legislator Mandy Dawson will plead guilty to tax-evasion charges stemming from secret payments she received from a Hollywood doctor at the center of a federal corruption probe.

Gov. Scott’s Facebook page draws praise and protests

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:58 EST

Gov. Rick Scott’s Facebook page is intriguing because the comments to a question about the Florida Legislature provides a snapshot of a divided state.

Miami-Dade college president deems budget allocation process unfair

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:26 EST

The House budget proposal includes special allocations for a trio of colleges in north and central Florida.

Capitol Buzz: Biden visits Tallahassee to talk jobs

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:00 EST

Here’s what we’re watching on Monday edition’s of the 2012 Legislature:

Biden in Florida: Keep tuition low

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:33 EST

The vice president spoke at Florida State University, pushing the president’s college affordability plan.

Debate on Florida private prisons hinges on cost

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:27 EST

Proponents say private prisons would save seven percent over state-run prisons, but opponents are skeptical.

Legislators propose shifting oversight of utility watchdog

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:26 EST

A proposal to move the office that represents consumers before state regulators gets mixed reviews, as some say it will make the job more political and others suggest it will insulate it from politics.

Budget bill would make USF Polytechnic state’s 12th university

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:10 EST

Lawmakers are crafting legislation to split the Lakeland campus of the University of South Florida into the state’s 12th university.

Capitol Buzz: Housing and school bus ads are topics of debate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:00 EST

Catholics Days continues at the Capitol, culminating with Red Mass of the Holy Spirit program at 6 p.m. Note: It’s also Caribbean Heritage Day.

Paranoia is justified on charter-school bill

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00 EST

In their despair, people who care deeply about public education in Florida sometimes get a little carried away.

Bills to revamp high school sports spark debate

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:27 EST

A pair of proposals would dramatically change the structure of high school sports in Florida.

Legislators reject attempt to clarify state’s regulation of slot machines

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:49 EST

While holes in state gambling laws threaten payments from the Seminoles, legislators rejected regulators’ bid for more powers.

Ex-South Florida politician to plead guilty to tax charges in federal corruption probe

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:52 EST

Former Fort Lauderdale legislator Mandy Dawson will plead guilty to tax-evasion charges stemming from secret payments she received from a Hollywood doctor at the center of a federal corruption probe.

Former state Sen. Mandy Dawson to plead guilty to income tax evasion

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

Former Broward state Sen. Mandy Dawson plans to plead guilty in a federal case that accuses her of income tax evasion, according to court records filed Monday.

Miami-Dade college president deems budget allocation process unfair

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:26 EST

The House budget proposal includes special allocations for a trio of colleges in north and central Florida.

Gov. Scott’s Facebook page draws praise and protests

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:58 EST

Gov. Rick Scott’s Facebook page is intriguing because the comments to a question about the Florida Legislature provides a snapshot of a divided state.

Capitol Buzz: Biden visits Tallahassee to talk jobs

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:00 EST

Here’s what we’re watching on Monday edition’s of the 2012 Legislature:

Legislators propose shifting oversight of utility watchdog

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:26 EST

Charter schools seek construction money

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:45 EST

Florida school districts are fighting a bill that would require them to share construction dollars with charter schools.

Banks to pay $25 billion to settle foreclosure abuses

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:36 EST

State and federal regulators on Thursday announced a settlement worth at least $25 billion with Bank of America and four other large banks, ending several years of litigation over alleged foreclosure abuses. The deal offers some help to struggling homeowners, but experts view it more as a moral victory with limited impact on the broader housing market.

Miss. lawmaker: 'Gulf of America' bill was a joke

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:56 EST

All the people outraged about the Mississippi bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" have missed its satirical intent, the sponsor said Thursday.

Pentagon to open more combat to women

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:46 EST

A decade after the United States launched two wars that put women at the front lines of unconventional fighting, the Pentagon crept closer Thursday to formally allowing them to serve in combat by announcing an additional 14,000 combat-related jobs for female service members.

Obama raising money from gay, lesbian donors

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:41 EST

President Barack Obama is telling gay and lesbian supporters that there's more work to do to ensure fairness for all. But he says he couldn't be prouder of accomplishments like overturning the ban on gays serving openly in the military - and he says the remarkable thing is how readily the public has gone along.

Obama birth control policy divides Democrats

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:41 EST

Democrats are deeply divided over President Barack Obama's new rule that religious schools and hospitals must provide insurance for free birth control to their employees amid fresh signs that the administration was scrambling for a way out.

Conservatives: Romney's OK if Obama is alternative

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:41 EST

If Mitt Romney needs some good news in an otherwise lousy week, he might find it in an improbable place: the packed hallways of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

A fourth defeat for Romney? Lack of ads could hurt

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:01 EST

Mitt Romney is in danger of losing his fourth straight state in Saturday's caucuses in Maine, where he and his allies have been all but absent from TV.

Death row inmates sue to stop drug importation

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:56 EST

Death row inmates are suing to stop the importation of a drug used in executions.

Biden 'determined' to work out birth control issue

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:56 EST

Vice President Joe Biden says he believes the Obama administration can address concerns raised by the Catholic church and religious groups about a new birth control policy that says church-affiliated employers must provide contraceptive coverage for their employees.

Obama praises Italian leader's economic efforts

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:16 EST

Eager for Europe to contain its economic troubles, President Barack Obama praised Italian Premier Mario Monti on Thursday for his efforts to lead Italy out of its fiscal quagmire. The president said Monti has boosted confidence in Italy throughout Europe and in the marketplace.

Farmers still fighting for immigrant guest-worker program

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:06 EST

California and Southern farmers renewed their case Thursday for some kind of an agricultural guest-worker program, but they're sailing against the wind. Make that a hurricane.

House passes ethics bill after deleting one key section

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:46 EST

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday to curb insider trading by members of Congress and the executive branch, but not without the usual political acrimony that's become a staple of Capitol Hill.

Budget bill would make USF Polytechnic state’s 12th university

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:10 EST

Lawmakers are crafting legislation to split the Lakeland campus of the University of South Florida into the state’s 12th university.

Group submits ballot proposal for Miami-Dade Commission term limits — as do 2 commissioners

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:15 EST

Miami Voice filed proposed wording for a Miami-Dade charter amendment to impose term limits on county commissioners. Separately, two commissioners said they plan to bring forth the same proposal.

Capitol Buzz: Housing and school bus ads are topics of debate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:00 EST

Catholics Days continues at the Capitol, culminating with Red Mass of the Holy Spirit program at 6 p.m. Note: It’s also Caribbean Heritage Day.

Political group starting effort to put Miami-Dade Commission term limits on ballot

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:10 EST

Miami Voice, a political action committee, plans to file language on Thursday for a Miami-Dade charter amendment to impose term limits on county commissioners.

Debate intensifies over requiring insurers pay for birth control

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:52 EST

The Obama administration and top Republicans, including Sen. Marco Rubio, continued their fight over a law forcing most private insurers to pay for birth control.

GOP vows to reverse Obama birth control policy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:37 EST

Republicans vowed Wednesday to reverse President Barack Obama's new policy on birth control, lambasting the rule that religious schools and hospitals must provide contraceptive coverage for their employees as an "unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country."

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:52 EDT

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