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There’s good news tonight for people in danger of losing their unemployment pay before they can find a job. Lawmakers voted to extend unemployment benefits by 20 weeks. But while the state is grabbing 418 million federal dollars to extend benefits, as Whitney Ray tells us, it’s passing up the chance to receive another half a billion dollars more.

Valarie Gainous has been unemployed from more than a year.

“It’s been really hard. I’m a single mother,” said Valarie.

Making matters worse, Valarie’s unemployment benefits have run dry. Jobless Floridians are eligible for 59 weeks of unemployment pay, but for many that’s not enough time to find a job. That’s why lawmakers voted to lengthen the eligibility period to by 20 weeks.

“What we are anticipating is, probably by the end of May having a notification out to those who are potentially eligible and hopefully by the beginning of July, having that money in Floridians hands,” said Robby Cunningham, a spokesman for the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

An estimated 250,000 people will qualify to receive the extra 418 million in extended benefits from the federal stimulus package.

While the state is taking the money to extend benefits another 400 million is being left on the table.

To qualify for the money the state would have to loosen its unemployment qualification standards. Lawmakers turned their backs on the changes this year. Governor Charlie Crist hopes they’ll reconsider.

“I’m encouraged that the deadline isn’t until 2011 to get the additional money for unemployment compensation,” said Crist.

With the state paying out 60 million dollars a week in unemployment claims, more money will likely be needed before then. Lawmakers estimate the state’s unemployment compensation fund will run out of money by July. But unemployment benefits are mandated by the federal government so the state says people who are eligible will still receive a check.

While thousands of state employees prepare for a pay cut many private companies hired by the state will receive raises.

The companies negotiated raises into their contracts, but State Senator Al Lawson says it’s still not fair to give them more when state workers will receive less. Lawson is asking the governor to veto a two percent pay cut for state workers making 45,000 or more.

“I’m trying to emphasis to the governor that we have dollars in reserve that we can make up the difference. Whether he’ll have the courage to do it is another story. We didn’t have the courage in the legislature to do it. We do not need to balance the budget on the backs of the people,” said Lawson.

The full state legislature will vote on the final budget proposal Friday. The chambers have to vote the bill up or down and aren’t allowed to make changes. The governor has the power to veto spending and reduction items in the budget he doesn’t agree with.

The state is waiting on word from the CDC on 20 potential cases of swine flu.

There are no new cases to report in Florida. The CDC has been bogged down with samples from all over the county. All of the confirmed and potential cases in the state have been mild. Florida’s Surgeon General, Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros said the state is bracing for a long battle with the virus.

“We need to be ready for another wave, we don’t fear anything. We need to be informed and ready and do whatever needs to be done to get ready for something. Yes that’s usually the course. There are waves like you’ve already seen on the national level. The CDC is determining whether or not they will put into production a vaccine. It would not be ready for four to six months but for the next wave so to speak. And we know as much as you all know on the national news about that,” said Viamonte Ros.

Schools in Florida that shut down because of the initial swine flu scare will reopen by the end of the week.

Two Florida families have won a long fought battle to make the roads a bit safer.

Dori Slosberg and Katie Marchetti were killed in car wrecks. Dori died in 1996 and Katie died in 2006. Neither girl was bucked up. Since their deaths their families have been fighting a battle in Tallahassee to toughen safety belt laws. Wednesday Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill allowing police officers to pull over people if they aren’t buckled up. Dori’s father former House Representative Irv Slosberg has fought for almost a decade to pass this bill.

“I machine gunned out legislation, all sorts of highway safety legislation and I was successful. But my signature bill got away from me. Finally, success. Finally, Victory on the road. But unfortunately, my daughter Dori, and my other daughter Emily, who was severely injured in the crash, had to die before this victory. She was a great kid,” said Slosberg.

The legislation is expected to save 140 lives it’s first year alone. It will also bring 35 million federal dollars into the state.

After back to back days of gaining ground on an agreement to allow card games and Vegas-style slots at Seminole casinos, lawmakers have hit a bump in the road.

Wednesday morning the Senate moved back to its original position to expand gambling. House leadership turned their backs on the offer. Senator JD Alexander has been leading the negotiations for the Senate. Alexander said he’s trying to reach the best deal for the state senate.

“Quite frankly on a couple of issues we did come back again we’re having numerous discussions with senators about their concerns for their particular regions and at the end of the day if we can’t get 21 votes then we can’t get there from here, so we are trying to make sure we properly represent the senators,” said Alexander.

Lawmakers have until noon on Friday to reach an agreement that could be put in front of both chambers for a final vote. If they don’t make the deadline the federal government could give the Seminole Tribe permission to expand gambling and the state would miss out on half a billion dollars.

Lawmakers will meet at six o’clock tonight in an effort to reach an agreement on the Seminole Gaming Compact. If the House and Senate can’t reach an agreement a special session could be called or as Whitney Ray tells us, the federal government could allow the tribe to expand gambling and Florida would miss out on millions.

State lawmakers are gambling with a compact that could expand gaming at Seminole Tribe Casinos. Half a billion dollars is on the line, and extended session ends Friday.

House leaders want to limit the gaming expansion… even suggesting the tribe should stop BlackJack at most of its casinos. The Senate plan is more liberal.

The Senate version would bring in millions more than the House plan. The differences between the two proposals was keeping legislative leaders from reaching a budget agreement

Money from the compact was supposed to be spent on schools in next year’s budget. Now lawmakers want to stick the money into savings.”

Removing the money from the budget talks signals the negotiations could drag on. House Gaming Chairman Bill Galvano said there are still a lot of details to work out.

“There’s a lot of meat left on this bone, but at least we are here this morning, we’re resuming talks and I remain optimistic,” said Galvano.

Senate Budget Chair JD Alexander is pushing to make the Friday deadline.

“I think this is something we need to come to terms with and come up with a policy,” said Alexander.

Governor Charlie Crist says if the legislature doesn’t act, the federal government will and Florida would get nothing.

Friday state lawmakers will vote on next year’s budget.

The budget proposal was printed and given to lawmakers today. Drivers, smokers, and college students are being tapped to fill the 3 billion dollar budget deficit. The proposal includes increased licensing fees, a tobacco tax, and a tuition hike. Stimulus dollars are being used to boost K–12 education funding. Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association says using stimulus dollars to fund schools is only a temporary fix.

“We are still a little bit behind the times and if we want a top flight education system so we can get the best businesses to come to Florida we are going to need to address this problem at some point in time,” said Pudlow.

Educators said lawmakers need to change the state’s tax structure and eliminate some sales tax exemptions to find a permanent source of education funding.

Voters will be asked whether or not first time home buyers deserve a property tax break.

Lawmakers approved a measure to put the tax reduction to a vote on the 2010 ballot. If approved first time homebuyers would receive a 25 percent discount on their property tax. A savings of a thousand dollars on a 200,000 dollar home. A Florida Home Builders Association Spokesman said the measure would help soak up the extra housing inventory and put builders back to work.

“Florida Lost about 175,000 construction jobs over the last two years and we think this property tax benefit could create a real stimulus out there as it allows first time home buyers maybe go access the American dream and step off the sidelines and into the home buying market that they haven’t been in before,” said Hart.

The proposed constitutional amendment would also cap assessment increases on businesses, rental properties and vacation homes at five percent a year.

Florida now has five confirmed cases of swine flu, with 17 still pending. The latest two cases are out of Lee and Pinellas counties. As Whitney Ray tells us, questions are pouring into the state call centers, set up to answer people’s questions about swine flu.

Phones are ringing off the hook at the state’s newly formed swine flu call center. More than 600 people a day are calling the hotline. Division of Emergency Management Spokesman Mike Stone said their operators are calming people’s fears.

“If people have a concern they can talk to an individual and a medical technician or provider to get very specific information,” said Stone.

The Information includes swine flu symptoms, what to do if you’re sick and even school closings. As a precautionary measure, schools in five counties have closed their doors. The state is working closely with schools officials in areas with possible cases.

“Obviously there is a big gamut. You can either screen children to make sure they are healthy or isolate them and ask them to go home if necessary to actual school closure,” said state Surgeon General Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros.

Governor Charlie Crist says Florida has been lucky so far.

“The good news is as far as we are aware none of those cases are that serious. The symptoms are pretty mild and that’s good for Florida,” said Crist.

But if things get bad the state has 700,000 doses of anti-viral medication ready to be distributed. The swine flu call center is open from 8 to 8 (ET). After hours, there is an automated message with daily updated information in English and Spanish. The hotline number is 1-800-342-3557.

Lawmakers have reached an agreement on a budget proposal that includes increased taxes, fees and college tuition.

The increases will help plug a three billion dollar deficit in next year’s budget. Drivers, hunters, and fishermen will be paying more in fees and smokers will pay higher cigarette taxes. Budget Co-Chair David Rivera said lawmakers still have to decide how much money they’ll get from a cigarette tax, and how much will come from tobacco settlement money.

“We haven’t come to closure on the issue of the details of a cigarette tax. We’ve come to an agreement as to an amount. We have a little over 900 million in revenues. How exactly we get to those revenues is still under discussion,” said Rivera.

State law requires a three day cooling off period from the time a budget proposal has been reached until it can be voted on by the full House and Senate.

Lawmakers are gambling with the Seminole Gaming Compact.

Monday, members of the state budget conference decided to leave the compact out of their budget agreement. The compact could raise half a billion dollars for the state, but with three different proposals on the table, members of the conference decided to postpone their negotiations. Budget Co-chair David Rivera says negotiating a compact was slowing down the budget process, which has already been extended by a week.

“We did not what the gambling discussions to hold up the budget discussions. We wanted to make sure we had a budget and we wanted to make sure any gambling issues didn’t complicate closing on the budget,” said Rivera.

Governor Charlie Crist says if a compact isn’t approved soon, the Seminole Tribe will likely get the go ahead to expand gambling from the Federal Government. If that happens, Florida would get nothing from the deal.

Monday the state honored eight law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.

Two of the officers were killed last month in the panhandle. The Okaloosa County Deputies were shot while responding to a domestic disturbance. Family members of the fallen were comforted by Governor Charlie Crist. Crist said those who gave their lives are real heroes.

“The men and women we honor here today are true heroes. We honor the fallen officers who gave their lives in service here in Florida. They face danger and uncertainty, always focused on their mission to protect those that they serve,” said Crist.

Law enforcement officer deaths are down from a year ago. Last year 16 officers died in the line of duty.

People from all over the world will attend graduation ceremonies at Florida colleges this weekend. Several schools are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of H1N1, or swine flu. As Whitney Ray tells us, besides a cap and gown, some graduates may also be wearing a medical mask when they receive their diplomas.

Crowds of people will gather in gymnasiums across the state to watch their loved ones receive college diplomas this weekend. But FAMU Junior Steve Williams will stay home, too scared of catching swine flu to watch his friends graduate.

“I might not go. You know swine flu and all that stuff,” said Williams.

Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker, so extra security will be in place. So will extra health measures. Guests will be given hand sanitizer and medical masks. And janitors will work overtime.

“Between sessions, the 9:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 6:00 pm, we’ll do a thorough cleaning of the arena as well as the restrooms,” said Henry Kirby, the chairman do the FAMU graduation committee.

All weekend, family members will be shaking hands, giving hugs, and of course spreading germs.

But the man who may have the highest risk is the schools president as he shakes students’ hands. He’ll have his own bottle of sanitizer and so will every student receiving a diploma.

“What we will be asking the graduates to do is as they approach the podium, to use the hand sanitizer and so all the graduates will have already done that as they approach the podium,” said Tonya Tatum the Director of Student Health Services at FAMU.

Health experts say if you’re feeling sick you shouldn’t attend graduation ceremonies and those who are well should take extra precautions.

Florida State University is also taking steps to stop the spread of germs. At FSU graduation ceremonies, guests will be given hand sanitizer and disposable facial tissue. Both schools will post signs reminding people to cover their mouths when they cough and to wash their hands frequently.

Florida continues to wait for the results of 8 suspected cases of H1N1 Virus or Swine Flu from an overwhelmed Centers for Disease Control. The cases are from across the state and include 2 from Lee County, 2 from Palm Beach County, and one each from Pinellas, Alaucha, Broward, Orange County. As Mike Vasilinda tells us,  the state began mobilizing resources today.

The news of Florida’s first  two confirmed cases of H1N1came just after 3 p.m. Friday.

“They are located in Lee and Broward County,” Crist said. “They involve two students. The one in Lee County is at Spring Creek Elementary, it’s an 11-year-old male. And in Broward County it’s a student from Hallendale High School, a 17-year-old female.”

At least one child had a history of travel to Mexico.

More than six other suspect samples, including a second Lee County sample are pending analysis.

“While we cannot predict the course of this outbreak and how it will affect the state, we do expect to see more cases over the coming days and weeks,” Viamonte Ros said.

Earlier in the day the state began sending resources including protective masks into the field. The state’s Surgeon General says the masks are only for health care providers right now.

“We’re not suggesting anyone purchase masks at this time,” Viamonte Ros said. “The masks are there mostly for individuals that are first responders.”

The state is also pushing out half a million doses of anti-viral medication. They’ll go to first responders, EMTs, doctors and hospitals.

The state also went live with an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. hotline to answer citizens questions.

Those with symptoms are being urged to stay home. Everyone else is being urged to wash their hands frequently.

The hotline number is 1-800-342-3557.

Florida students on bright futures scholarships will soon have to cough up cash to pay tuition costs.

Lawmakers are increasing tuition, but not funding for the scholarship program in order to save the state money. Students on a full bright futures scholarship will be paying at least eight percent more next fall. The percentage could be much higher as individual schools will be able to raise a differential tuition rate. Governor Charlie Crist says the economy is forcing the change to the scholarship program.

“I think it is fairly obvious to most folks that this is a tough economy and we have to tighten our belts a little bit, and that is just sort of the reality of what we are dealing with and I understand, I’d rather not have to do it to but we have to be realistic,” siad Crist.

Many fear separating Bright Futures from actual tuition costs is just the first step on a path to drastically changing the scholarship program.