Miami Herald: Florida House expected to have full plate of bills
Mar 26, 2010
The Miami Herald published this article on March 26, 2010.
BY CRISTINA SILVA
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE — It’s the final deadline to hear new bills in the House, making for a robust platter of legislation that should slow down lawmakers in a hurry to flee the Capitol and return to their districts for a long weekend.
In all, seven committees are expected to hear a total of 44 bills. Issues range from creating new faith-based correctional programs (HB811) to a controversial bill (HB23) that seeks to grant parole to some minors sentenced to life.
The Senate is slated to discuss a closely watched measure that could cast more light on Florida government. Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, is sponsoring the so-called “open government bill of rights.” The bill would require government officials to be trained on open records laws, increase fines for Sunshine Law violations and prevent agencies from charging citizens excessive copying fees for records.
The Senate is scheduled to take up a number of pro-animal bills, including the Judiciary Committee’s discussion of a bill that would make animal bestiality a first-degree misdemeanor.