State university leaders in January will tackle Gov. Ron DeSantis’ directive to end the use of H-1B visas that allow foreigners to be hired faculty, the university system’s Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said Thursday.

A grand jury has indicted a Florida State University student on murder charges for the killings of two people and the wounding of six others in a mass shooting on campus last month.

After tragedy struck with a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University, state leaders are urging all of Florida’s public universities to reevaluate their security measures.

A grand jury has indicted a Florida State University student on murder charges for the killings of two people and the wounding of six others in a mass shooting on campus last month.

The Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve a new course list that it believes is not based on theories of systemic racism and privilege, among others. The board meeting, held in the student union building at the University of North Florida, got some pushback.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday is set to hold an education-related news conference in Orlando.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference at Daytona Beach College on Tuesday morning.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a roundtable discussion Monday in South Florida.

Over the objections of Democrats who contend Republicans are being “bullied” by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Senate on Wednesday approved a congressional redistricting plan that would favor the GOP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed congressional redistricting plan, lambasted by opponents because it likely would reduce the number of seats held by Black Democrats, quickly moved toward approval Tuesday as the Republican-dominated Legislature started a special session.

A Republican-favorable congressional redistricting plan that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office released Wednesday landed quick support from the leader of the Senate’s reapportionment efforts.

Several dozen proposed amendments in Florida have been filed for the 2022 ballot, but new restrictions on contributions for initiatives are expected to slow any efforts to amend the state constitution.

Disney World could face new competition if social media companies take advantage of a loophole included in legislation aimed at cracking down on social media censorship, which awaits the governor’s signature.

Legislation that would make it easier for parents to understand their legal rights when it comes to their children is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Senate committee Tuesday will consider a bill that would restrict contributions to political committees trying to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. Under the proposal, contributions to political committees sponsoring initiatives would be limited to $1,000 during the period in which petition signatures are gathered. The limit would be lifted when the secretary of state certifies initiatives have qualified for the ballot -- a point that occurs when the backers of the initiatives have met requirements for submitting petition signatures. The petition-gathering process can cost millions of dollars, with groups required to submit 891,589 signatures to get measures on the 2022 ballot. AdThe bill is scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee.

Florida lawmakers are hardly the first in taking up the fight, which critics say could lead to the amplification of dangerous hate speech. The proposal wending through the Florida Legislature would require public universities to survey the prevailing political views on their campuses. It would specifically permit students to record classes when students feel a professor is imposing their political views upon them. She hopes the bill can help create civil discussion about free speech on Florida’s campuses. Critics of the proposed Florida legislation questioned what lawmakers would do with the results of the proposed surveys of campus populations.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With unions and business groups squaring off, a Senate committee Wednesday backed a controversial proposal about the process for deducting union dues from the paychecks of public employees. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill (SB 78), which appears to be moving quickly toward a vote by the full Senate after the 2021 legislative session starts in March. That would be in addition to a current process of union bargaining agents submitting written requests to begin deductions. Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, described the bill as “borderline intimidation.”The bill has drawn opposition from major unions, including the Florida AFL-CIO, the Florida Education Association, the Florida Police Benevolent Association and Florida Professional Firefighters. AdThe bill is slated to go to the Senate Rules Committee next week and then could be ready to go to the full Senate.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A controversial proposal that would add requirements related to deducting union dues from public-employee paychecks could be on the fast track in the Florida Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee is slated Wednesday to take up the bill (SB 78), filed by Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero. The bill was delayed last week when the Judiciary Committee ran out of time before voting on it. The bill would make changes to the process of deducting union dues from paychecks. The House during the 2020 session approved a bill that mirrored Rodrigues’ proposal, though a House version has not been filed for the 2021 session.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s pension plan would be no more under legislation that cleared a Senate Committee at the State Capitol Thursday morning. Some call the plan underfunded, but there are fears that ending the defined benefit plan could make it harder to hire critical workers. The state pension plan isn’t just for state workers. Starting next year, State Sen. Ray Rodrigues wants to force all new employees into a 401(k)-type investment plan. If no changes are made, the state will continue putting $373 million a year into the plan.

The bill (SB 78), sponsored by Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, would make changes involving deductions of union dues from employee paychecks. For example, the bill would add a new step in which government employers would have to confirm with workers that they want dues taken out of their pay before the deductions could start. That would be in addition to a current process of union bargaining agents submitting written requests to begin deductions. The Judiciary Committee began to debate the bill just a few minutes before Monday’s meeting was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. The meeting concluded before the panel had time to vote on whether to advance the bill, which is filed for the legislative session that begins March 2.

Sponsors argue the bill makes sure employees have the final say on their money, but unions say it’s an effort to hurt them. Sponsor Ray Rodrigues wants those union members to know they have alternatives. “This bill is just another attempt at union-busting,” said State Senator Victor Torres. “We think there should be a signed authorization, signed by the employer before the employee’s pay is reduced,” said Rodrigues. If the bill becomes law, public sector unions would not be allowed to ask anyone why they dropped their membership.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A controversial Senate proposal that would require Florida state colleges and universities to survey students about “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” on campus cleared its first hurdle Tuesday. Rodrigues’ bill did not pass in previous years when he filed it as a member of the Florida House, and it did not get heard in the Senate during the 2020 legislative session. He and other proponents of the bill contend there is no way to gauge how much “freedom” Florida students have to speak their minds. Rodrigues said his measure would prevent schools from outright banning groups from campus, however uncomfortable it might make other students. After Tuesday’s meeting, Rodrigues said he is open to changing that part of the bill as it moves through the Senate.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a potentially major change to the Florida Retirement System, a Senate Republican on Thursday proposed a bill that would require new state employees to enroll in a 401(k)-style plan. The proposal (SB 84), filed by Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, would apply to employees joining the retirement system as of July 1, 2022. Currently, employees can choose whether to enroll in a traditional pension plan or what is known as an “investment” plan, which is similar to a 401(k). Republican leaders have long discussed moving away from the traditional pension plan, as many private employers have done. Rodrigues’ bill is filed for consideration during the 2021 legislative session, which will start March 2.

TALLAHASSEE – With a new administration comes new optimism or pessimism for state lawmakers, depending on which side of the political aisle they fall on. Legislators are already setting expectations for how President Biden’s actions might impact Florida. It was no secret that under the Obama administration, the Republican Florida legislature and governor often found themselves at odds with the federal government. Now, the Republican controlled state government is gearing up for another four years under a Democratic president. But Florida Democrats like State Sen. Lori Berman argue that the state should take help wherever it’s offered.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After President Donald Trump’s removal from several social media platforms, some Republican lawmakers are calling for action against what they call censorship. Google, Apple and Amazon also took action to de-platform the conservative-leaning social media app Parler. One bill filed in the Senate would require social media companies to inform users why they were banned within 30 days. The House bill does allow social media companies to ban users for calls to violence, posting pornography, impersonation or if a court orders the account to be removed. If the legislation ultimately passes, it could potentially be used by Trump, a Florida resident, to seek retribution for his bans from social media platforms.

The legislators who tested positive for COVID-19 include Republican state Sens. Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta said Wright took three separate tests -- and tested positive twice -- at a state-supported testing site that was set up outside the Capitol for lawmakers, guests, legislative staff and reporters. While Salzman tested negative for the virus, her son tested positive. Jeanette Nuñez, members of the Florida Cabinet, and the 160 members of the Florida Legislature have offices in the Capitol complex in Tallahassee. The Florida House and the Florida Senate have different COVID-19 infection-prevention policies in place.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The organizers behind the Make It Legal recreational marijuana amendment are closing in on 100,000 valid signatures and have said they will have enough to qualify for the 2020 election by mid-December. A ribbon was cut Tuesday as MedMen opened its first medical marijuana dispensary in Tallahassee. MedMen is banking on voters to back the recreational marijuana amendment the company is bankrolling. “A super-majority of Floridians are truly wanting this and survey after survey is saying that,” said Make It Legal Florida Chairperson Nick Hansen. Florida is already expected to be a battleground state for the presidency next year and likely for legal marijuana as well.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Facing the possibility that Floridians could be asked next year to legalize recreational marijuana, a House panel on Tuesday turned to Oregon to learn more about the economic, environmental and health impacts the state has faced since authorizing adult pot use four years ago. "The recreational market in Oregon has roughly six-and-a-half years right now worth of supply to meet the demand within the state," Gibson told the panel. Oregon legalized the use and possession of marijuana in 2015 through a state ballot measure approved by 56 percent of voters. Gibson was the second speaker about the potential perils of adult use marijuana to appear before Rodrigues' committee in less than a month. To produce a kilogram of marijuana, Gibson said, plants use as much energy as two running refrigerators and release as much carbon dioxide as a passenger car in a year.

The bill was given only one committee stop -- a rarity for legislation and a signal that it's a high priority for Republican House leadership. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Erin Grall would require a minor to get written, notarized permission from a parent or legal guardian to obtain an abortion. Florida already requires that doctors notify parents before performing an abortion on a minor, but parental consent isn't required. PREVIOUS STORY: Florida lawmaker proposes parental consent abortion bill"I pray that our colleagues in the Senate will take up this issue this year and allow the state of Florida to put parents back into this conversation with their daughters,'' Grall said. Others argued that girls might be victims of the same parents they need to seek consent from to get an abortion.

Freedman served as Colorado's first director of the Office of Cannabis Coordination, overseeing the state's move from medicinal to recreational marijuana. House Health & Human Services Chairman Ray Rodrigues told reporters the House is on a fact-finding mission to prepare lawmakers as two dueling measures that would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida have been proposed for the 2020 ballot. But Freedman's take was decidedly less dire Wednesday, although a few of his findings carried some caution for lawmakers if voters decide to authorize recreational pot. Policymakers need to particularly pay attention to the frequency with which consumers report using marijuana, Freedman said. Florida lawmakers hoping the state could cash in on the legalization of recreational pot --- medical marijuana is untaxed in the state --- might have been a tad disappointed by Colorado's experience.

TALAHASSEE, Fla. - There's a chance Florida voters will legalize recreational weed in 2020. On Tuesday morning, the House Health & Human Services Committee aimed to prepare for the possibility of such a change. Melissa Villar, with the group NORML Tallahassee, called herself a recreational user and was unconcerned who knew. Her group, NORML Tallahassee, was one of the sponsors of the two recreational marijuana ballot initiatives. To date, both ballot initiatives for recreational weed have yet to reach 100,000 valid signatures.