Penny tax/class size idea 'in the oven'

Wondering what has become of that idea last week for a combined constitutional amendment on the penny tax for education and the move to loosen class-size standards?

Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, says they're working on it, but have to get past these budget discussions.

"It's still in the oven," said Wise, chair of the Senate preK-12 appropriations committee. "We just gotta make sure that we cook it all the way."

Despite a cool reaction to the idea from House Republican leaders, Wise said, "It's somehing that we're still considering and the president of the Senate is considering, and when we get a go ahead, we'll go ahead."

Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, said they're still look at the idea, too: "We have polled the issue and we'll talk about that next week."

Redistricting campaign staffing up

Forget the senate and gubernatorial races. The biggest race of all in 2010 may be the campaign to change the way legislative and congressional districts are drawn in Florida. FairDistrictsFlorida has signed up a couple pros from Barack Obama's Florida campaign - former deputy state director Ashley Walker and former general election director Jackie Lee - to run the redistricting campaign. Lee and Walker have started their own consulting shop, Sunstream Strategies.

Beware Employee Free Choice Act!

The SEIU has a hoot of a video response to critics of the Employee Free Choice Act, or "check card" proposal that may be the subject of a constitutional amendment for Florida.

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Fierce union fight coming to Tallahassee

The debate in Washington over the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it much easier to unionize, is coming to Florida. House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, and state Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, are pushing for a constitutional amendment to require secret ballots in federal, state and local elections and decisions of employee representation. If passed, they say the amendment would supercede the federal “card check” statute under debate.

“Casting a vote free of threats, harassment or intimidation is the most basic of democracy’s principles,” Hasner said in a statement. “Currently, there is a political effort in America to erode and subvert these fundamental rights, and Floridians’ right to a secret ballot is under attack and must be protected. This is not an anti-union bill. Harassment and intimidation are wrong, whether they come from a union boss or a management boss. With a secret ballot, you’re the boss.”

Reconsidering the class-size amendment

It comes as no surprise, but here's the news: Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, has filed a resolution that would have Florida voters reconsider the class-size amendment.

Simply put, Weatherford's proposal, which would require support in the House and Senate, would stop the state's class-size reduction effort at the school average. It also would set a cap for student enrollment per classroom slightly above the average.

More at the Gradebook blog.

Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer

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Time to abolish Lt. Gov. job?

Martin Dyckman argues no: The real issue is to make better use of the lieutenant governor. There can be more to it than ribbon-cutting. The law permits him or her to head any of the governor's departments without Senate confirmation (or additional salary). ... In other words, it is the governor who is responsible for whether the lieutenant governor is worth nearly $350,000 a year in salary and travel expenses. As Charlie Crist's skin seems to be made of Teflon, the voters will probably forgive him this, too. But let them at least remember it the next time they elect a new governor.

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Calif. tailpipe rule hits speed bump in Florida

A legislative committee dealt a setback to Gov. Charlie Crist's climate team Monday on his goal of adopting California's vehicle emission standards in Florida. The panel agreed with its staff that the Department of Environmental Protection's attempt to adopt the California standard by rule -- without legislative action -- is an "invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority" that would "vest unbridled discretion in the agency."

A lobbyist for automakers urged the panel to block DEP from acting, noting that tougher standards are likely to happen anyway at the federal level at President Obama's insistence. "This is the wrong year to address this issue," said Wade Hopping of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.   

The unanimous vote by the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee followed a motion by Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness. The other members of  this panel include Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa; Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill; Rep. Marlene O'Toole, R-Lady Lake; and Rep. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville.

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Four finalists for last Supreme Court spot

The Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission sent four finalists to Gov. Charlie Crist for the vacancy created by Justice Charles Wells' retirement:

Daniel Gerber, Attorney, Orlando
Alan Lawson, 5th DCA, Daytona Beach
Debra Nelson, 18th Judicial Circuit, Sanford
James Perry, 18th Judicial Circuit, Longwood

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Fla. Supremes approve redistricting language

From the News Service of Florida: The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected claims by the Legislature that the language of proposed constitutional amendments setting out standards for redrawing districts are misleading. The Supreme Court said the ballot language meets the constitutional requirement of only dealing with one subject, and isn't misleading.

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Seven apply for final high court opening

The call went out this month for a "diverse, qualified" candidate pool to fill the fourth and final spot on the Florida Supreme Court. Only seven applied to the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. But two are African-Americans and three are women.

The applicants are:
Judge Hubert Grimes of Deland
Judge James Perry of Sanford
Daniel Gerber of Orlando firm Rumberger Kirk & Caldwell
Judge Debra Nelson of Sanford
Tracy Marshall of Orlando branch of Gray Robinson
Fifth District Court of Appeals Judge Alan Lawson
Judge Renee Roche of Orlando

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