On IN Your Head Radio today, I interviewed State Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Ft. Walton Beach) on his bill that would legalize a strain of cannabis (Charlotte’s Web) that will help children battling…
Category: State & National News
Weatherford: House waiting to reveal pension overhaul
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida The House is still considering two approaches to an overhaul of the state’s retirement system, Speaker Will Weatherford said Wednesday, indicating that a pension…
Rep. Ingram’s Controlled Substances bill passes Criminal Justice Subcommittee
Yesterday, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee unanimously passed House Bill 697, sponsored by State Representative Clay Ingram (R-Pensacola), which bans a set of illicit synthetic drugs and adds three extremely lethal synthetic…
The green light for Charlotte’s Web is definitely on
On Monday, I reported that Rep Matt Gaetz’s bill to legalize Charlotte’s Web, the strain of cannabis that helps children deal with extreme seizure, had been given the “green light” and would…
Performance funding for Florida universities: will it hurt higher education
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida Lawmakers will consider a plan this spring that would fund the state’s 12 universities based in part on performance, a move that could see…
Public employee pension battle renewed
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida A Senate measure dramatically overhauling the pension plans for many future public employees has been introduced, setting off a highly anticipated election-year fight between…
Red-light cameras could be repealed
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida A measure to repeal the state’s red-light traffic camera law will be pushed forward by lawmakers using a study from the Legislature’s non-partisan policy…
Ingram files Veterans Employment Bill
State Senator Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) and State Representative Clay Ingram (R-Pensacola) have filed legislation which allows private, non-public employers in Florida to give hiring preference to an honorably discharged veteran, or the…
Nurse practitioner debate flares in Florida House
A House select committee Monday began working on a 155-page bill that would give new powers to nurse practitioners and has spurred a lobbying battle in the health-care industry. The bill (PCB…
On Tap in the Capital: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014
Legislature: BILLS COULD LIMIT NURSING HOME LAWSUITS: House and Senate panels are scheduled to take up bills (HB 569 and SB 670) that would place additional restrictions on lawsuits against nursing homes….
Protect Our Defenders responds to AP story that ran in PNJ today
Today the Pensacola News Journal reported on an Associated Press report released yesterday that revealed in shocking detail the military’s flawed and insufficient handling of over 1,000 sex crimes that were reported…
INYR interview with Brent Coon on BP claims
On IN Your Head Radio, I interviewed Texas attorney Brent Coon on BP, how it has dealt with disasters in the past and on the latest developments with BP claims settlements. Listen…
Lionfish sighted in Pensacola Pass
Last month, we discussed on IN Your Head Radio the danger posed to our marine life from lionfish. We received this email from Leo Cyr: I want to alert you to an…
State Weekly Roundup: Pop tart bill, Team player, Brewing budget battles
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida BUT WHAT ABOUT TOASTER STRUDELS? Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association, one of the most effective lobbying groups in Tallahassee, was back at work doing…
INYR Interview with Peyton Mosley on Charlotte’s Web
I interviewed on Jan. 13 Peyton Mosley on IN Your Head Radio before he went to Tallahassee for a hearing on medical marijuana with the House Criminal Justice subcommittee. That meeting led…
No polling places on UF campus, and thus starts the battle for the right to vote in the 2014 election
In 2012, University of Florida students endured six-hour waits to vote on election day. The city of Gainesville’s requested to be allowed to use the University of Florida student union building as…
Immigration reform: The case for a clear path to citizenship
On Wednesday, I interviewed on IN Your Head Radio Patrick Oakford on immigration reform. Oakford is a Research Associate in the Economic Policy department of the Center for American Progress . His…
Gun Rights folks split on HB 733
Rep. Dane Eagle (R-Cape Coral) has introduced HB733 that would prohibit any state agency from cooperating with enforcement of any federal gun laws – past, present or future. The bill called “The…
Uh, one more gun bill. This time it involves schools and NRA. What could go wrong?
By Margie Menzek, The News Service of Florida A bill backed by the National Rifle Association that lawmakers said would add “common sense” to zero-tolerance policies for guns in public schools sailed…
State Capital briefs, Feb. 5
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES TAX CUT BACKED As Gov. Rick Scott and legislative leaders look to cut $500 million in taxes and fees this year, a Senate panel Tuesday approved a plan that would…
