04/13/04
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 2,001
Year to date: 49,037
STATE
NEWS
THE
BUDGET THE BUDGET THE BUDGET THE BUDGET THE BUDGE
Trust
us
(
04/12/2004
© Tampa Bay
Business Journal)
Hold onto your
wallet. Dissatisfied with a one-time raid on state trust funds, the
Legislature is now considering making such fiscal forays permanent. Trust
funds are pools of tax money dedicated to paying for specific government
functions.
Editorial:.
. . and raiding in Florida
(
04/13/2004
© Orlando
Sentinel)
Ever wonder how
the political process works? Here's one sure to go down in the convoluted
annals of legislative antics. Lawmakers in the Florida House of
Representatives recently agreed to steal $100 million from a
transportation trust fund,
Trust
fund overhaul could boost bottom line
(
04/12/2004
© Orlando
Business Journal)
TALLAHASSEE
--
Tallahassee
's next budget battles
will be played out over issues of trust: Millions of dollars set aside in
state trust funds. Those funds are intended to pay for specific services.
Now, though, under pressure from the governor's office and amid
belt-tightening budget talks, the funds are slated for a radical overhaul.
Editorial:
Short-sighted
(04/12/2004 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
Over the next few
weeks, state House and Senate leaders are going to be saying, 'We're
sorry,' a lot. The ritual apologies will go something like this: There
were a lot of needs. We just couldn't stretch the budget to cover them
all. We had to leave you out. We're sorry.
Column:
State cost shifting must stop
(04/12/2004 © Bradenton
Herald)
Who will pay the
price, you ask, as the governor and the Legislature struggle to balance
the state budget in the face of continuing revenue shortfalls and
questionable financial policies? You and I will at the local level.
After
week break, lawmakers return for end of session
(04/11/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- Lawmakers returning for the final three-week stretch of the legislative
session have a lot of work ahead, but seem poised to finish on time.
Lots O
Education Stuff
FCATs
get a price tag
(
04/12/2004
© Florida
Today)
TALLAHASSEE
--
Florida
is about to roll out a
new school-grading system that affixes a price tag to FCAT test scores.
Called "Return on Investment," the project aims to tell parents,
school administrators and lawmakers which schools are most
"efficient" at improving scores on the already high-stakes
Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test.
Column:
Don t take low road
(04/12/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Suppose, in order
to save money on the rising costs of health care and insurance, we chose
to forgo professional training and credentials for medical practitioners.
All we really need, after all, are caring people who enjoy helping others.
Editorial:
Education-Aid Plan Should Be Pruned
(
04/12/2004
© Lakeland
Ledger)
Education-Aid Plan
Should Be Pruned The state of
Georgia
cut back its landmark
HOPE scholarship program last week. Can
Florida
's Bright Futures be far
behind? The problem in both states is money.
Florida
lagging in grant matches
(04/12/2004 © Miami
Herald)
As a freshman at
Florida Atlantic University, Ancel Pratt III
was so broke, he was in danger of dropping out. A scholarship through the
financial aid office proved to be just enough to keep him in college, with
the help of two after-school jobs.
Private-school
director influences education policy
(04/12/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE --
Private school director Patricia Hardman has sold Florida lawmakers on her
expertise regarding McKay school vouchers, convincing Republican leaders
that disabled children need neither accredited schools nor certified
special education teachers.
Bills
fuel dreams of migrants kids
(04/12/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
PAHOKEE -- Four
years of hard work in the medical magnet program at Pahokee Middle/Senior
High school, a solid 3.1 GPA and ROTC got Maria Calvillo
a job at a Family Dollar store
Governor
tackles university stalemate
(
04/13/2004
© Gainesville
Sun)
Jeb Bush attends a
meeting of the State University Presidents Association.
ORLANDO
ov.
Jeb Bush intervened Monday into a stalemate among some state university
presidents and members of the Florida Board of Governors disagreeing about
what powers should be given
Advocates
pitch strong pre-K plan
(04/12/2004 © Miami
Herald)
The state of
Florida can pay now for a quality prekindergarten
program -- or it can pay more later when its kids can't read, or when they
end up pregnant or imprisoned, education advocates said Thursday night.
School
construction cash falls far short of estimates
(04/12/2004 © Miami
Herald)
Building cash
fraction of estimates Two years ago, Republicans warned that a
constitutional amendment requiring Florida public schools to dramatically
reduce class size would be a fiscal disaster -- a $27 billion effort that
Gov. Jeb Bush said would ''blot out the sun.''
Orlando
Governor links college funds, accountability
(04/13/2004 © Orlando
Sentinel)
Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush touted rosy budget prospects for state university leaders Monday in
Orlando but stressed greater local control would only follow more
accountability measures. University presidents were hit last year by a $40
million funding cut, but Bush predicted state House leaders
Test
scores stay private under voucher bills
(04/13/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE --
Floridians who want to know the performance of a public school need only
get on the Internet. On the state Department of Education's Web site are
available test scores of virtually every public school, broken down by
grade level, with each school getting a letter grade
Oooops!
Democrats
say lawmakers may have mistakenly adjourned session
(04/12/2004 © Gainesville
Sun)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Democratic leaders said the Legislature may have inadvertently violated a
long-standing constitutional requirement when they recessed in observance
of the Easter and Passover holidays, and warned Monday that all bills they
now pass may face legal challenges.
Democrats
call holiday break unconstitutional
(04/13/2004 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE --
Democrats said Monday that they are concerned that last week's mid-session
break was a possible constitutional violation that could cause legislation
passed in the final three weeks of to session to face legal challenges.
One
recesses, one adjourns; jointly, a mess
(
04/13/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE
- Legislators take an
oath to uphold the Florida Constitution. On Monday, former legislators and
constitutional experts say, they decided to ignore it. Legal experts say
lawmakers are putting at risk the proposed $56-billion state budget and
every other bill they may consider during the next three weeks.
Inside
the legislative sausage factory
Parties
skirt laws to raise funds
(04/12/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - When
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd pushed his colleagues two weeks ago to halt
last year's phone rate hike, some of his stiffest opposition came from
Democratic House members. Before the House voted, it was Democratic
legislators who tried procedural moves to stall the legislation.
Get
to work
(04/12/2004 © Florida
Today)
Florida's
lawmakers return to work today after spring break, which means it's time
to check progress on the eight issues that we made our priorities when the
legislative session started. They represent, we believe, the most
important needs of
Space
Coast
and state residents, but
so far, nearly nothing's been done.
King
savors change
(
04/12/2004
© Jacksonville
- Florida Times Union)
TALLAHASSEE
-- Jim King's last
spring atop the Florida Senate is much quieter than the first. Don't think
he doesn't appreciate the difference. A year ago, King was being openly
cursed, threatened and screamed at by doctors, insurance companies and
some of his own Republican colleagues over medical malpractice lawsuit
limits.
Political
donations to lawmakers swirl into dark holes
(
04/12/2004
© St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE
- Like dozens of
Florida
legislators, Rep. Randy
Johnson benefited from a fundraising committee that supported his
political activities. The Citizens for
Florida
's Future raised
$108,000.
ALLAN
BENSE: Next House speaker
(
04/12/2004
© Tallahassee
Democrat)
Rep. Allan Bense
is trying to hold the attention of the fidgety schoolchildren peering over
the desks in the House chambers. He explains how the House speaker
controls everything about how the House operates –
Study:
Utilities exploit donation loophole
(
04/12/2004
© Miami
Herald)
In
Florida
, utility companies
donated $12.2 million to political parties during a five-year period. A
watchdog group thinks that's too much. Citing several loopholes that allow
private money to flow effortlessly into the hands of legislators, a state
watchdog group is calling for stricter rules
Control
of Political Donations Sought
(
04/13/2004
© Lakeland
Ledger)
Control of
Political Donations Sought Legislature pushing for law to compel
disclosure of all contributors. By
STEVE BOUSQUET St.
Petersburg
Times
TALLAHASSEE
-- Like dozens of
Florida
legislators, Rep. Randy
Johnson benefited from a fund-raising committee that supported his
political activities.
Doctors and Lawyers still
duking it out…guess who’se
in the middle
Some
doctors refusing to testify
(04/12/2004 © Bradenton
Herald)
TAMPA - The
medical malpractice case of Thomas Christian v. Joseph Diaco
was a week away from trial this spring when the plaintiff's attorneys made
a routine call to a physician who had long ago agreed to testify as an
expert witness.
Doctors,
lawyers in costly rivalry
(04/13/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE -
Doctors and lawyers, whose bitter rivalry over medical malpractice has
made them the Hatfields and McCoys
of state politics, are taking their brawl to the voters this year with
rival proposals that could dramatically change the way both professions do
business -- and kill some physicians' careers.
Florida
election 2004
Book
touts Graham s VP potential
(
04/11/2004
© Gainesville
Sun)
Tallahassee
- U.S. Sen. Bob Graham
doesn't have anything in his background that should preclude him from
being seriously considered as a vice presidential candidate on the
Democratic ticket. At least that's the opinion of Shirish
Date, the author of a new biography, entitled ''Quiet Passion,''
Gov.
Bush leads rally of Hispanics for president s re-election campaign
(04/12/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
ORLANDO -- Gov.
Jeb Bush urged Florida Hispanics on Monday to re-elect his brother, saying
President Bush has done more to recognize Latinos than any other
president.
U.S.
Senate candidate falls short on signatures drive for ballot
(04/12/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- State Sen. Daniel Webster, who was attempting to become the first U.S.
Senate candidate in Florida to get on the ballot by a petition drive,
failed to collect the necessary 93,024 signatures by Monday's deadline.
Webster,
R-Winter
Garden
, didn't have an exact
count of his collected signatures, but he fell just short of the required
number.
Miami
man is top Bush campaigner
(
04/13/2004
© Miami
Herald)
Rudy Fernandez
walked into a classroom in
Miami
two decades ago and only
knew these words in English: ``My name is Rodolfo Fernandez.'' Today, the
31-year-old is one of the top operatives in President Bush's reelection
campaign, and the only Hispanic among the six regional directors.
“Election
2000 Redux” or “Watch Another
Stolen Election”
Touch-screen
voting system criticized
(
04/11/2004
© Sarasota
Herald-Tribune)
The infamous
hanging chads are gone, but the controversy
surrounding
Florida
's elections process is
far from being eradicated.
Absentee
ballots may not require a witness
(04/13/2004 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - With
thousands more Floridians expected to use absentee ballots to vote in
November's presidential election, state election officials are calling for
changes that critics say could invite fraud.
More
dirty politics and phone rates
Editorial:
Freeze on phone rates cold comfort for public
(
04/12/2004
© Palm Beach
Post)
The best thing
would have been to reject the largest phone rate increase in state
history. The next best thing would be to repeal the largest phone rate
increase in state history
Other
state political news
State
AWOL in veterans preference
(04/12/2004 © Tallahassee
Democrat)
Gov. Jeb Bush and
state legislators often express the genuine respect that Floridians,
regardless of their political beliefs, feel for members of the armed
forces. Unfortunately, that well-deserved admiration doesn't seem to
extend to older veterans who work for the state.
State
to review Disney s domain
(04/13/2004 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE --
State lawmakers Monday ordered a review of Walt Disney World's
unprecedented government powers, the first such scrutiny of Central
Florida's entertainment giant in 36 years.
Push
to open more primaries stalls
(
04/12/2004
© Lakeland
Ledger)
TALLAHASSEE
,
Fla.
An effort to open more
primaries to all voters stalled Monday in a Senate panel, yet the sponsor
of the legislation said he was happy simply by getting his proposal heard.
Year-Old
Workers Comp Law Leaves Mark
(
04/13/2004
© Tampa
Tribune)
TALLAHASSEE
- A year after the
Legislature overhauled
Florida
workers' compensation
law, bitterness between rival interests lingers. With lawmakers in a
low-key effort to patch holes in the sweeping 2003 revision, a
construction industry lobbyist boasts of ``huge results.''
NATIONAL
NEWS
Overtime
fight still on…but things are looking brighter
SENATE
O.T.
VOTE
ON
TAP--It appears Senate
Democrats have won their fight for a vote on a measure to prohibit the
Bush administration from stripping workers of their overtime pay rights.
Last year the administration proposed new overtime regulations that would
take away overtime pay protections from some 8 million workers. When the
Senate returns to work following its Easter recess, Sen. Tom Harkin
(D-Iowa) will offer an amendment to the Foreign Sales Corporation tax
bill--designed to end a trade dispute with
Europe
--to ban the Department
of Labor from taking away overtime pay protections from workers who
qualify under current rules. The effect of the Harkin amendment would be
to block those portions of the Bush proposal that restrict overtime
eligibility but allow the administration to change the overtime rules in
any way that does not restrict eligibility. The Bush administration had
announced previously it planned to issue a final version of its overtime
proposal by the end of March, but passage of the Harkin amendment could
force the administration to abandon its controversial overtime cuts before
issuing a final regulation. In recent weeks Republican leaders twice have
blocked a vote on the Harkin overtime amendment by pulling the underlying
tax bill from the floor. Contact your senators and urge them to support
the Harkin overtime amendment to the Foreign Sales Corporation tax bill.
Election
2004
Gun groups may not be Bush campaign weapon http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-na-gunpolitics13apr13,1,2467557.story?coll=la-home-headlines
John
Kerry kicks off campus tour
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-kerry13apr13,1,2787294.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Kerry
questions
Iraq
deadline and urges bigger UN role --
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/politics/campaign/13KERR.html
Timing
of Bill Clinton memoir is everything to Kerry -- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/books/13CLIN.html
John
Kerry levels new fire at President Bush over his budget --
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/politics/campaign/08KERR.html
If you have
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information you would like to see posted please contact our communications
director at (850) 224 – 6926 or at rtemplin@flaflcio.org.
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Rich Templin
Communications Director
Florida
AFL-CIO
