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A House committee approved a one two punch to the citizen initiative process Monday, making it more difficult to amend the state constitution.

Republicans contend it’s too easy to change the state’s founding document, but voter groups argue it’s just the opposite.

Republican lawmakers believe too much policy is making its way into the state constitution.

“It should not be easier to put an amendment in our constitution than it is to pass the same law through the legislative process,” said Representative Rick Roth.

Roth wants to raise the current 60 percent approval threshold for amendments to pass to a 66 and 2/3’s percent supermajority.

It would apply to amendments put on the ballot through citizen initiatives and those put on the ballot by the Legislature.

“It’s better to limit ourselves trying to pass good amendments in a time when we’re more in danger from bad amendments,” said Roth.

Voters groups argue the proposed bar is too high.

“What this bill does is put the power of the initiative process squarely in the hands of a super minority of voters, which I don’t think is what anyone thinks of when they think about democracy,” said Jonathan Webber with the Florida Conservation Voters.

Another bill would cap contributions to citizen initiative campaigns at $3,000 during the signature gathering phase.

“It makes sure that we’re not overly influenced by those that have the wherewithal to do that, millionaires, billionaires and those outside our state,” said House sponsor Representative Bobby Payne.

The contribution limit legislation is being called the anti-John Morgan bill.

Morgan bankrolled the medical marijuana amendment and the minimum wage amendment.

But Ida Eskamani with Florida Rising argued the Legislature’s attempts at restricting the citizen initiative process is the blame for the big-money donors.

“The issue here is not that we have people like John Morgan. The issue is that the Legislature has made the ballot initiative process so expensive that we have to go find donors to make it work,” said Eskamani.

Both proposals were approved along party lines and have one more committee stop before reaching the House floor.

Voters will have the final say on whether to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments, but it would only take the current 60 percent voter approval to raise the bar.

There is fallout at the State Capitol over the plan to start collecting the tax due on internet sales.

Florida’s labor unions argue working people will pay the tax, while businesses will reap the benefit.

The 30-10 vote was bipartisan.

Seven Democrats joined Republicans to begin collecting the sales tax on internet purchases from out of state merchants.

But many of the votes came with an unwritten string attached.

A commitment to look at unemployment benefits.

“I’m going to hold everyone to their commitment that we are going to get something really good done. Because guess what? If the benefit amount goes up and the number of weeks is more reasonable, our claimants and out constituents get more money,” said State Senator Jason Pizzo.

Florida and Missouri are the only two states with a sales tax that does not actively collect the tax from out of state merchants.

The AFL-CIO is angry because the $1.3 billion a year will be paid by working families, but it will be used to lower premiums businesses pay for unemployment.

“It is the responsibility of the businesses to fund unemployment insurance,” said Rich Templin with the Florida AFL-CIO.

Senate Democratic Leader Gary Farmer voted no.

“That was a tax giveaway to Florida’s largest, wealthiest corporations,” said Farmer.

But House Speaker Chris Sprowls believes that lowering what businesses will pay will help workers.

“And yesterday they paid seven dollars per employee for unemployment. Now they are looking at eight-seven dollars. That could be the difference between staying open and closing,” said Sprowls.

Without the new money being used to offset another tax already collected, the legislation will likely face a veto from the Governor.

A House committee is expected to take the first action to raise the weekly unemployment benefits by a hundred dollars a week Monday evening.

The Florida House has approved HB 1, the controversial legislation seeking to increase penalties for crimes committed during a riot.

Roughly five hours of debate brought cries for law and order and racial justice.

Republicans say HB 1 is about public safety, cracking down on protests that escalate to violent riots.

“The First Amendment does not protect violence,” said Representative Cord Byrd, the bill’s prime cosponsor.

Democrats opened their remarks with a symbolic gesture, speaking for the same length of time as George Floyd laid with a knee on his neck.

“Where’s the caring? The empathy? The humanity? Because it’s not in this bill,” said Representative Evan Jenne.

The bill defines a riot, raises penalties for crimes committed during a riot and creates a process for state attorneys to challenge budget reductions to law enforcement.

“We can act before it’s too late. We do not need to have Miami or Orlando or Jacksonville become Kenosha or Seattle or Portland,” said Byrd.

Democrats asserted the bill will be applied unequally, and used to crack down on peaceful protests for racial justice.

“This is not a bill that has any other group in mind other than Black lives. This bill will legalize racism by hindering freedom of speech for a select few,” said Representative Angela Nixon.

Representative Barnaby Webster, the only Black Republican Florida lawmaker fired back, arguing there is no discriminatory language in the bill.

“Brothers and sisters, you’ve got to use your intelligence a lot better. It’s time to stop this constant refrain of about racism. It’s crazy,” said Webster.

The final vote in the House was 76-39 in favor of HB 1 straight down party lines.

Three Democrats and two Republicans didn’t vote at all.

The vote marks the legislation reaching the halfway point.

It still must clear the Senate, in which it’s yet to be scheduled for even a single hearing.

But procedural maneuvering may still leave open a pathway for the bill to make its way to the Senate floor.

At nearly the halfway point of session the Florida House has sent the first bill to the Governor’s desk.

The legislation provides liability protections for both businesses and health care institutions, like nursing homes and hospitals, from pandemic-related lawsuits.

Democrats have consistently expressed concerns that the protections set too high a standard and would even block legitimate claims, but House Speaker Chris Sprowls argues it’s not blanket immunity.

“So I think this is a shot in the arm for those businesses to say let’s bring our employees back, let’s really lean back into commerce. You know, we’re going to be safe, but as long as we’re doing the right thing, we’ll be protected from not being blindsided by frivolous lawsuits,” said Sprowls.

The legislation passed 83 to 31.

The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law.

Florida’s unemployment rate remained relatively stable in February, dropping just one tenth of a percent to 4.7 percent, according to the latest jobless report released by the state.

The rate is just 1.4 percent higher than it was a year ago, a month before pandemic job losses started mounting.

Adrienne Johnston, the state’s top labor economist said the job outlook will likely continue improving as more people are vaccinated.

“As more people become vaccinated, then certainly they’re going to feel more comfortable to go back and connect into the labor market, to go back into purchasing goods and services, and engage in economic activity, and as that happens, it certainly going to drive employment up and reduce our unemployment overall. So, as that continues to be widespread, and more people are vaccinated, that’s going to be a positive for employment in the state,” said Johnston.

Johnston also said the unemployment rate may see small increases, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as more people return to the labor market and seek jobs.

Drama continued to build over the State Senate District 37 race in South Florida Friday.

A former State Senator has been charged with illegally recruiting and funding a straw candidate who has the same last name as the Democrat who lost the race by 32 votes.

In a news conference, Senate Democratic Leader Gary Farmer called for the winner to resign and for a State Senate investigation, in which witnesses would be put under oath.

He’s also calling for a Federal investigation.

“These allegations and the facts revealed in the Artiles affidavit and arrest warrant, go to the very heart of our electoral process and they undermine the very integrity of our elections. We cannot sit by and let this go without a full investigation,” said Farmer.

Before the end of the news conference, the Senate President texted there would be no Senate Committee investigation of the election, saying he did not want to interfere with the on going criminal investigation.

The investigation by the Miami-Dade State Attorney remains open.

The arrest warrant does mention unindicted co-conspirators.

The Florida House approved legislation Friday that would allow churches to permit patrons to carry concealed firearms on their premises even if they have a school on their grounds.

The legislation was created in response to the Sutherland Springs church mass shooting in 2017, where 26 were killed.

Democrats expressed concerns that the bill isn’t clear on whether concealed firearms would be permitted only in the church, or also allowed inside the schools.

“If the law that we adopt is that guns should be not present on school campuses, members don’t discriminate against children who go to religious schools,” said Representative Joe Geller.

The bill was approved 76 to 37.

It still has one more committee stop in the Senate before reaching the floor.

Republican state lawmakers are putting pressure on the University of Florida after it suspended three conservative student organizations for allegedly violating COVID rules at an on campus event.

Lawmakers argue the punishment doesn’t fit the crime and the rules aren’t being applied evenly.

In an official statement, the University of Florida said the three conservative student organizations were suspended because they failed to register an on campus barbecue and violated face mask and social distancing guidelines.

“Some people had taken their masks off. We did have to eat,” said Philip Smith, who is the President of the UF chapter of Young Americans for Freedom.

YAF along with the Network of Enlightened Women and Turning Point USA were the three organizations suspended by the university.

“Whether we think they’re discriminating against conservatives specifically, we’re not sure,” said Smith.

But Representative Randy Fine doesn’t have any doubts a double standard is at play.

“Yeah there’s no question and it gets worse. When I asked UF why this group got in trouble, they said that they’ve employed a Stasi-like East German policy, where they ask students to rat on other students,” said Fine.

He’s tweeted photos of other UF students as evidence the rules aren’t being uniformly applied.

“The only other groups that have had these issues are four fraternities and sororities, which apparently had some sort of raging parties where they may have actually violated the rules,” said Fine. “The issue we have at the University of Florida is their statement implies that there’s been no Black Lives Matter protests where people didn’t fill out a permit, there have been no other groups. It looks so bad.”

Fine said the incident supports the need for legislation already moving through the legislature, which seeks to protect diversity of thought on college campuses.

Sponsor Representative Spencer Roach said the bill creates protections for students and students government officials facing disciplinary action.

“One thing that we did not envision was that these groups would be targeted,” said Roach.

Fine has suggested cutting UF’s funding over the incident.

Roach went one step further.

“The university President owes the taxpayers an explanation and if he can’t provide one, he needs to resign,” said Roach.

The student groups told us they hope they’ll be able to work with UF to resolve the issue soon.

We reached out to the University Tuesday morning for further comment on this story in hopes of receiving photos and evidence showing the alleged offenses.

We have still not received a response.

The Florida House began debating controversial legislation cracking down on violent protests Thursday afternoon.

Democrats proposed five amendments in an effort to water down the legislation.

The burning of buildings in the Tampa Bay Area in June, windows smashed in the state’s capital and trouble elsewhere were the genesis of House Bill 1.

It’s number is indicative of how important it is to leadership.

“It’s protects the businesses from the destruction of property. It protects police officers who are there protecting against violent protests,” said House Speaker Chris Sprowls.

Opponents claim the legislation will stifle peaceful protests.

“That is totally and utterly false. There is not a line in this bill that would affect anyone who is peacefully protesting. Who it will effect, who it will affect, are people who are being violent,” said Sprowls.

As written, the driver of a red truck that ran through protesters in Tallahassee over the summer wouldn’t face charges or civil action if a convicted protester was hurt as he escaped after inadvertently ending up in the middle.

“It’s promoting vigilantism of the worst kind, and so, that’s what my amendment would do, it would remove that from the bill,” said Rep. Fentrice Driskell.

Driskell knew the amendments would all be voted down.

“You know, we have to continue to fight. We have to continue to raise the arguments and at least try to use this process to make a piece of legislation better,” said Driskell.

The House will take a final vote Friday, but the bill is in trouble in the Senate where it has yet

But the clock is ticking, and the Governor and Sprowls have been on National TV telling the nation they were going to pass the toughest law in the nation.

The Governor told us last week that he believed lawmakers would reach a deal on the legislation by the end of session.

Several dozen mainly African American pastors stood on the front steps of the State Thursday, urging lawmakers to withdraw elections legislation the pastors say will stifle voters.

The legislation eliminates drop boxes, which pastors say 70 percent of voters like.

It will also cut in half the life a mail ballot request.

“So, not only is God watching, we’re watching. We want you to understand we voted you in. We’ll surely, surely, vote you out. Godspeed,” said President of the Equal Ground Action Committee, Marcus R. McCoy Jr.

The group said it made more than a half million voter contacts in 2020 to get out the vote.

The Senate and House are split on how to respond to the civil unrest spurred by the death of George Floyd.

The Florida House is moving full steam ahead with legislation that would raise penalties for crimes committed during a riot, but the Senate has taken a different approach, pushing a police reform bill that reflects some of the concerns raised during the civil unrest in 2020.

“I think law enforcement is looking, not for bills and for policy that creates a further divide between the community and law enforcement, but things that bring us together,” said Senator Jason Pizzo.

Pizzo, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, is sponsoring the policing reform package.

“This is everyone’s opportunity, basically not to have short term memories. You know again, in May and early June, everybody, both sides of the isle came out and said these atrocities need to stop, we need to improve the situation. Here’s your opportunity,” said Pizzo.

It would mandate implicit bias and deescalation training.

“At the very least, let’s have a standard threshold of best practices and promulgate them statewide,” said Pizzo.

It also creates a duty for officers to intervene if they witness another officer using excessive force and bans choke holds in most situations.

“You know, it’s an imminent life threatening situation, any and all response is appropriate,” said Pizzo.

The police reform bill is being held up in the House by the prime co-sponsor of the anti-rioting legislation.

Likewise, the anti-rioting bill is being blocked in the Senate by the sponsor of the police reform bill.

Thus far, the two sides seem unwilling to compromise.

House Criminal Justice Chair Cord Byrd is skeptical of the police reforms proposed in the Senate.

“We’re trying to get at the bad ones, not impugn the behavior of all police officers,” said Byrd.

When asked a deal could be worked out between the two chambers, Byrd said one was currently not in the works, but left open the possibility.

“That’s what the end of session is for,” said Byrd.

Pizzo was more direct.

“I don’t horse trade. There’s no bartering going on. There’s no communication. I’ve actually never spoken to Cord Byrd,” said Pizzo.

Pizzo noted there’s only one Criminal Justice meeting left in the Senate.

The anti-rioting bill is not on the agenda.

Byrd said there would be multiple amendments made to the anti-rioting legislation when it’s heard by the full House.

Whether it will be enough to garner support in the Senate is an open question.

Three different legislative committees in the State Capitol approved three bills that will help Floridians drive into the future Wednesday.

The bills set the stage for digital and autonomous technology.

Hungry for a pizza?

There’s an app for that, and there’ll soon to be an app for the autonomous vehicle that will deliver it.

“I mean, we’re right around the corner, you’re seeing more and more of these companies developing everyday. You’re seeing really interesting partnerships developing out of this technology,” said State Senator Jeff Brandes.

Legislation approved by a Senate committee sets the road map for driverless delivery vehicles.

“When you order from Walmart, it’ll ultimately come in an automated vehicle, delivered to your house, via an app. You’ll press a button, it’ll open a door,” said Brandes.

A million dollars in insurance will also be required.

“And just last week I talked to another company that wants to relocate to Florida and begin to grow their business here as it relates to the future of automated, shared and electrical vehicles,” said Brandes.

The vehicles will only be allowed to travel on roadways with a 35 mile an hour limit or less, with one exception.

The vehicles will be allowed to operate on a 45 mile per hour road for one mile, to get from one neighborhood to another.

Another bill will use a handful of state vehicles to become a pilot for digital license plates.

“You have to actually purchase a physical plate before you can purchase a digital license plate,” said Representative Nick Duran.

The possibilities are endless.

Never changing the sticker on the plate and much more.

“If the car gets stolen, you can type in the license,” said Duran.

Digital license plates currently cost just under $500, but the cost is expected to come down significantly as they gain popularity.

Finally, Florida will piloting a digital drivers license, so if you are ever stopped and the officer asks for your license and registration, you simply press a button to send it.

Digital drivers licenses could be a year away.

Black mothers are three to four times more likely to die than white mothers as a direct result of child birth or from postpartum complications.

Florida’s House Speaker has vowed to tackle the disparities and he’s now backing legislation that would extend Medicaid eligibility for postpartum care.

In Florida, nearly half of all births are covered by Medicaid, but recipients are only eligible for two months of postpartum care.

“One third to one half of maternal deaths occur in the postpartum period,” said House Speaker Chris Sprowls.

Sprowls is backing legislation that would extend coverage for the first time since 1976.

Under the $240 million plan Medicaid would cover mothers up to a year after delivery.

“We acknowledge that it won’t solve every problem. We need physicians and medical experts to play their part in educating patients and we need better career and education programs to drive Floridians to in-demand jobs where there’s healthcare coverage. We’re working on those things too in this House, but this is a step that we must take to help support an important and vulnerable population, our pregnant moms and their babies during and after their pregnancy,” said Sprowls.

The legislation has wide bipartisan backing.

“This problem impacts minority communities disproportionately,” said State Representative Kamia Brown.

Brown, a Democrat, hopes the legislation will close the racial disparity gap in maternal mortality rates.

“Extending this coverage will save lives,” said Brown.

Democrats hope this is only the beginning, another part of the puzzle is access to care.

A 2018 report revealed there were zero OB/GYNs in Gadsden County, where nearly six in ten residents are Black.

Brown is backing another bill seeking to expand Telehealth services for maternal health care in minority communities.

“We’re looking at expanding access, but also quality access. This particular bill stems to do that,” said Brown.

The speaker said he hasn’t talked with the Governor or the Senate on the Medicaid proposal.

He was careful to call the plan a Medicaid extension as opposed to an expansion, which has been long opposed by Florida Republicans.

Of the $240 million investment, $92 million will come from the state, with the Federal Government picking up the rest.

The Speaker also vowed to make the change permanent, although actions of the current Legislature cannot tie the hands of future Legislatures.

Parents and the recipients of Bright Futures Scholarships sent thousands of emails to lawmakers opposing changes to the popular merit based program.

As a result, the legislation has been watered down, but some are still concerned about the program’s longterm future.

State lawmakers email boxes are blowing up over possible changes to bright futures.

“I don’t think I’ve received more emails than received on this subject,” said State Senator Janet Cruz.

A survey conducted by Cruz found 98 percent knew someone who benefited from Bright Futures.

Another 56 percent said they or someone they know could not have gone to college without the scholarship.

“People love this scholarship,” said Cruz.

Sponsor Dennis Baxley has been taking the brunt of the criticism.

“Well, I think they were a big part of where we are winding up,” said Baxley, who is sponsoring the bill aiming to alter the program.

The concerns forced significant changes.

Scholarships won’t be withheld no matter what course you are taking, but students will have to get career counseling about their choices.

“We have a significant number of college graduates that can’t get hired,” said Baxley.

Amendments were voted down that would have guaranteed funding for recipients already in school.

“There’s a lot of concern about the funding,” said Senator Tina Polsky.

Alison Roush came to Florida State after turning down full rides at two out of state schools.

Now she is worried.

“In the next few years there is a potential for the money for my scholarship to be reduced,” said Roush. “I think it would leave me with a portion of the money.”

In the end, the legislation was approved.

Janet Cruz worries GOP supporters are trying to steer students to some courses.

“Students will have to sign they understand what career paths pay well, and what career paths perhaps don’t pay as well,” said Cruz.

The conversation about Bright Futures is far from over.

Concerns will likely require more changes, and the House is using a carrot instead of a stick to get students to go into careers in demand.

Florida is spending $618 million on Bright Futures this year.

All of fund come from lottery revenue.

Major changes to the state’s alimony law are on the table at the State Capitol.

Legislation heard Monday afternoon in a Senate Committee would end permanent alimony and set in law formulas for how much and how long a spouse would make or receive payments.

Deborah Favata-Shultz, a physician from Apollo Beach, has been paying alimony for 17 years.

“I’ve paid alimony as long as we were married,” said Shultz.

Under proposed sweeping changes, alimony would no longer be permanent, but limited to half the time of the marriage.

“I am 68 years old. I want to retire. I don’t know how I am going to do that if I have to keep paying him this money,” said Shultz.

Senate Sponsor Joe Gruters said alimony will also end at retirement.

“This doesn’t end alimony. It just ends permanent alimony. But on top of that, you still get 50 percent of all marital assets,” said Gruters.

Under current law, alimony only ends when a spouse gets remarried or a court agrees, but this legislation ends alimony if someone is getting substantial support like living with someone who is helping pay the bills.

“What happens is that they just will never remarry because it’s not in their best interests. And ultimately, it’s cheating the system,” said Rep. Anthony Rodriquez, who is sponsoring the bill in the House.

The Florida National Organization for Women has fought the changes for a decade.

“That woman will be punished for staying home and talking care of the children, while her husband is out advancing his career, and then casting her aside,” said Barbara DeVane with Florida NOW.

The legislation does make it easier for either spouse to go back to court to seek a modification, up or down.

The bill also says there is a presumption spouses will share children equally.

Similar ideas were vetoed by then Governor Rick Scott in 2013 and again in 2016.