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There are 36 claims bills worth more than 100 million dollars awaiting legislative approval. Yesterday Governor Rick Scott rushed to sign legislation to pay restitution to a man who spent 27 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. As Whitney Ray tells us, the claims process can take years because after the judge decides the victim is owed money, state lawmakers still have to sign off on the deal.

Speechless, William Dillon could barely utter a word for minutes after Governor Rick Scott signed a bill making the former convicted murderer a millionaire.

Dillon spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. He was released in 2008 after DNA evidence proved his innocence.

“Just to tell people not to ever give up, don’t ever give up,” said Dillon.

Dillon, now 52, was an athlete and a musician when he was thrown in jail in 1981.

Since his release he has played a charity baseball game and recorded an album. He says the 1.3 million dollars he’ll receive from the state won’t make up for lost time.

There are 36 other claims bills still waiting to be heard. With just a week left in session, the families are praying for a miracle. Aaron Edwards, spells out words for him mom to interpret.

While still in the womb a nurse at a Florida hospital gave his mother the wrong dosage and when Aaron lost oxygen, there was no one around to perform an emergency C-section. Aaron suffered brain damage.

“Ever extra penny I have goes to things Medicaid doesn’t cover,” said Mitzi Roden.

A judge awarded Aaron 30 million dollars. Mitzi says the money is needed for special schooling, technology to help Aaron communicate and to take care of him after she is gone.

Among those bills still awaiting approval is a two million dollar pay out to the family of an FSU student killed in a botched drug sting and 10 million dollars for a man paralyzed in a car accident with a speeding Broward County Deputy.

Important news tonight for parents of high school seniors.

If your kid plans to attend UF or FSU next year, it might cost way more than expected. Today the Florida House passed a bill giving the two universities the authority to raise tuition as much as they want. Currently tuition increases are limited to 15 percent a year. Representative Eric Fresen says allowing the two universities to raise the price to market levels will make them more competitive.

“If we are not trying to create a university system that’s going to elevate to excellence our economic development in the state is going to be dwarfed and we will be losing the battle on competition,” said Fresen.

The bill still has to be approved by the Senate. If it is then it goes to Governor Rick Scott who told lawmakers at the start of session he didn’t want any tuition increases.

Florida House Members start your engines. Legislation to make Auto-racing the official state sport crossed the finish line in the Senate today and is speeding to the House. Opponents of the bill say golf or baseball are more important sports, but senate sponsor Evelyn Lynn says Florida’s rich history with NASCAR makes it clear auto-racing should be singled out.

“It brings in millions and millions of dollars and they are all new dollars to the state of Florida. They are dollars from people who live outside the state so there is no other sport that compares to that,” said Lynn.

No word yet on when or if the House will take up the bill or if the chamber will give it the green flag.

Black lawmakers say Florida’s new elections laws make it harder for minorities to vote. They’re trying to amend a new election bill to bring back voting on the Sunday before elections. They say the Soles to the Polls Campaign that organizes blacks to vote after church can’t work under the new rules. State Senator Chris Smith is asking legislative leaders to restore early voting.

“It forbids them from exercising their Souls to the Polls. It has stopped early voting on that last Sunday. I don’t know why. If fraud is going to happen it’s not going to suddenly happen that last Sunday,” said Smith.

The new law cut early voting from 14 days to 8 days. Counties can still host early voting on Sunday, just not the Sunday before the election.

For the second year in a row, state lawmakers are treading on questionable ground in voting to test for drugs. The state House today approved random drug testing for state employees, but lawmakers and the Governor are zero for two when it comes to sniffing out illegal substances.

The legislation would allow ten percent of the state’s work force to be randomly drug tested four times a year. That’s fifty thousand tests. Rep. Carlos Trujillo says it will make the workplace safer. “I think it improves the quality of life of public employees”
Trujillo told his colleagues.

But Rep. Rick Kriseman says initial evidence has found few positive tests. “The Department of Transportation, with more than six thousand employees, only had two positive tests of over five hundred that was done,” says the St. Petersburg representative.

The idea unleashed a triad of opposition. “You don’t want to do it to the Governor, you don’t want to do it to us. I tell you, what you are doing, you’re being bullies” said incoming Democratic Leader Perry thurston. Rep. Irv Slosberg of Palm Beach took a more compassionate approach. “It’s all about forgiveness. People make mistakes in life and we have to forgive them and we have to try and work with them” say Slosberg.

Last years legislation ordering drug testing for welfare recipients has been put on hold by the Federal Courts. So too has a plan by the Governor to order state employee testing by executive order.

The legislation made Florida the brunt of a national joke on a comedy news show.

Lawmakers say they don’t care. Rep. Scott Plakon says interpreting the constitution is not the legislature’s job. “It is our job to make good public policy that we think benefits all Floridians, and that’s what this is” said Plakon.

And there is little doubt that if the random tests are signed into law, it’ll go straight to court. ACLU Legislative Coordinator Ronald Bilbao says court rulings are clear. “Random, suspicion less drug testing, absent a safety sensitive position, by the government, is unconstitutional under the fourth amendment” says Bilbao.

While ordering the tests, lawmakers gave agencies no cash, forcing them to cut elsewhere to carry out the law.

The debate over what to do with Florida’s 1000 internet cafes rages on tonight. Earlier today the House voted to ban the small businesses. The Senate wants to regulate them. As Whitney Ray tells us, confusion over where the business can operate and who has the authority to shut them down will continue unless lawmakers take action.

Heated debate on the House floor Thursday as state lawmakers push to outlaw internet cafes across the board.

“These are truly the crack cocaine of gambling,” said bill sponsor Scott Plakon.

The bill passed the House 72 – 43 vote. Just minutes after the vote, we spoke to two internet café employees, fearing for their jobs.

“Perhaps I would go out and look for another one, but in today’s economy, it could be a little difficult,” said Barbara Harrison, a clerk at an internet café in Tallahassee.

“I’m currently saving right now. I’m a recent graduate from FAMU. I’m saving for grad school,” said Makasa Covin.

The women don’t see what all the fuss is about. They brushed off claims by House Republicans that the cafes prey on poor people.

“I think they’ve got the wrong perspective. The people come in here they enjoy it, they have a good time,” said Barbara.

The Coalition of Florida’s Internet Cafés says the businesses employee 13-thousand people statewide and shutting them down would mean job loss and heart break.”

While the House says shut them down, the Senate wants to keep and regulate them. As it stands now, where the businesses can operate is a little confusing. In Hillsborough County they’re illegal, but this business man if opening new internet cafés in Tampa,

“We made sure to contact proper authorities before, during and after,” said Richard Ratcliff.

If either the house or senate plan makes it through the process then Florida’s will have a united stance on internet cafes. But if the two chambers can’t reach an agreement before next Friday, the state will still have no power over the businesses.
The Senate isn’t likely to take up the House bill, but anything is possible in the last week of session.

Legislation allowing student leaders to deliver an “inspirational message” at school functions is on its way to the Governor after more than hour of impassioned debate. Supporters say it is not a school prayer bill, but opponents argued inspirational message is just code for prayer.

Children in the first grade, and every other grade, could soon start receiving inspirational messages from classmates. The Legislation sets no age limit on who can give an inspiration message. It says only that school personnel can’t be involved. Representative Dennis Baxley cast the issue this way.

“Liberate these children and let them learn about real freedom. This is about freedom.

The legislation sparked more than an hour of heated debate.

“There must be controls” said Jewish representative Franklin Sands of Broward County. “And the kindergarten children, we’re saying give them absolute rights. They can make any message they want. Are you kidding?” asked Sands.

But some African Americans, including Representative Hazell Rogers, crossed party lines to support the messages. She explained her decision this way: “The majority of people in my district believe that we are having problems with our students because we took prayer out of the classroom.”

“88 yeas, 27 nays Mister Speaker.”

That vote sends the legislation to the Governor

Under the legislation, every school district will get a chance to set its own policies, but lawmakers turned down an attempt to make those schools responsible for any legal fees that might result. Once signed, lawsuits are a foregone conclusion said Ronald Bilbao of the ACLU. “And we know that it violates the establishment clause of the first amendment to the Constitution. We feel it’s an open invitation to litigation.”

And with the Governor’s okay, the messages could begin as early as next school year.

Governor Rick Scott says he has not read the legislation, but he believes in prayer in school.