Florida's Latest News

Congress votes to avert a shutdown and keep the government funded into early March

Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.

The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference. Shortly before the vote, the House Freedom Caucus announced it “strongly opposes” the measure because it would facilitate more spending than they support.

Nevertheless, about half of Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the third stopgap funding measure in recent months. The action came a few hours after the Senate had voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill by a vote of 77-18.

The measure extends current spending levels and buys time for the two chambers to work out their differences over full-year spending bills for the fiscal year that began in October.

The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies. Their funds were set to run out Friday. It extends the remainder of government operations to March 8.

Florida lawmakers won’t allow 16-year-olds to work on roofs

Florida senators scaled back a bill that sought to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work on roofing projects, limiting them to residential construction jobs below 6 feet. Originally, SB 460 would have authorized 16- and 17-year-olds to work on roofs at residential and commercial sites.

But state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, rewrote the measure Wednesday to exclude them from commercial jobs and working on any scaffolding, roof or ladder above 6 feet. Supporters say the measure will allow teenagers to gain real-world experience that will serve them whether they continue in construction or go to college.

“It’s a great opportunity for young people to learn skills, to learn a trade and go forward,” said state Sen. Keith Perry, a Gainesville Republican who owns a roofing company. Perry, 65, said he started in roofing at 16 and founded his construction business at 17.

The Senate Education PreK-12 Committee advanced the proposal on a 9-2 vote. Opponents said roofing projects are too dangerous for minors, even under the revised terms. Roofing has the second highest rate of on-the-job deaths in civilian occupations, only behind logging, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Federal labor standards bar anyone under 18 from working "on or about a roof” unless through a federally approved apprentice or student-learner program.

Florida Senate bill puts millions of dollars toward mental, maternal health

Florida senators on Thursday passed a sweeping package of changes meant to ease Florida’s health care worker shortage and provide people with more access to care.

The overall package will cost hundreds of millions of state and federal dollars, and was unanimously approved by the Senate. The Florida House will still have to pass its package, but Speaker Paul Renner has expressed support for the priority legislation of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo.

The sweeping package does not consider expanding Medicaid. In her opening speech to the Legislature earlier this month, Passidomo made clear that Medicaid expansion was not on the table.

Sen. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, who sponsored the bill, said on Thursday that the legislation will help “enormously” in increasing access to health care.

Here’s a look at some of the provisions in the bill, SB 7016, and what they do.

House passes jury duty exemptions for new moms

‘Strong and healthy families should be at the heart of our state’s policymaking.’ Of all the things new mothers need to worry about, jury duty shouldn’t be one of them.

That’s the spirit behind a bill (HB 461) that just cleared the House with uniform support. If approved in the Senate, women who have given birth within six months of a jury summons can request, and receive, exemption from the otherwise mandatory civic duty.

Republican Rep. Carolina Amesty of Windemere, the bill’s sponsor, repeated something of a mantra during its steady progress through the Legislature’s lower chamber: “Strong and healthy families should be at the heart of our state’s policymaking.”

Her lawmaking peers agreed Thursday, voting 114-0 in its favor.

Amesty’s bill and its house analogue (SB 452) by Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall also won praise from several interest groups, including the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers Association.