Welcome to

The state House gave tentative approval Wednesday to a bill dampening teen modeling web sites. The sites often recruit young girls and have them pose provocatively. The bill defines what is harmful to minors. Sponsor Ron Schenck of Spring Hill says the legislation will stop people from preying on children.

�It really gets at these teen modeling sites that are based here in Florida. The sites are really almost a cancer on our society. They show girls as young as 13 scantily clad and sometimes topless, and they are able to do this because the parents give consent. So what the bills does is make it illegal, regardless of whether the parents give consent or not. It�s one of these bills that�s going to protect my kids when they grow up and protect everyone�s kids and grandkids in the state of Florida,� said Schenck.

The bill will clear the House at its next meeting. It must still be heard in the Senate.

A bill would ban hanging nooses in people�s yards. Some people see the noose as art. For many the noose is a reminder of the murders of hundreds of African Americans in the early and mid 1900s. State Representative Geraldine Thompson is sponsoring the bill. She says displaying a noose should be a hate crime.

�A noose goes back to the days of lynching in the state of Florida, and these are meant to intimidate and frighten individuals and we want to make sure there�s a criminal offense associated with that kind of behavior,� said Thompson.

The proposed bill would also make it a hate crime to display of the swastika.

Governors from all 50 states say education funding is the key to a healthy economy. Researchers studied state of the state addresses from every state over the last four years. They found governors talked about the link between education and economical growth more than any other subject in their speeches. The report was released by Communities for Quality Education. Spokesperson Damien Filer said the study proves that Florida needs to focus on education for long term economic success.

�Because it�s such a tough budget year in Florida and because there�s already such a significant portion of dollars going to education, but again, the temptation to make cuts there really needs to be guarded against in Florida in order to protect the health of our economy,� said Filer.

Recent budget proposals suggest taking nearly a billion dollars from public education to fill the state�s growing budget deficit.

Healthcare leaders in Florida are taking steps to end childhood obesity. Nemours partnered with the University of South Florida to release a group of studies on child healthcare called the Florida Chartbook. These studies found that a third of Florida’s children between ages 10 and 17 are obese or overweight. Lisa Simpson co-authored the book.

“The Chartbook reveals that while many children are healthy in Florida, far too many do not enjoy the health that they should nor do they have access to the healthcare services that they need,” said Simpson.

Nemours also revealed the results of their Capitol Steps for Kids Pedometer Challenge. Over 20,000 children and their families participated in this statewide challenge and walked over eight million steps combined.

The battle to seat Florida�s Democratic delegates seems to be going somewhere. The chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean announced today, that Florida�s democratic delegation will be seated at the national convention in August. Dean released a joint statement with Florida�s Democratic Party leader Karen Thurman. State Senator Steve Geller said the agreement doesn�t matter.

�We must work out an agreement on fair terms reflecting the will of Florida�s voters to seat our delegates and again today�s announcement really doesn�t mean anything,� said Geller.

The national and state parties haven�t reached an agreement yet, on how to seat Florida�s delegates. Florida was penalized after lawmakers voted to move up the primary.

The hunt is on at the state Capitol for ways to spare schools and social services deep cuts in a tight budget year, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the cash shortage has some questioning whether the state should continue holding sales tax free holidays.

School supplies and back to school clothing costing less than 50 dollars
could be tax free again during the first week of August, or not. A tight
budget has some suggesting the popular tax break is too expensive.

�This is clearly one of those years we can�t afford it. I mean, we�re doing such grave damage to education this year. We�re doing such grave justice to the civil justice system, the criminal justice system,� said state Senator Steve Geller.

A week without sales tax on school supplies costs the state 40 million
dollars. And local governments another nine million. The sales tax free holiday cleared a House Council. It is almost certain to clear the full House. It has the support of the Speaker.

�It�s one of the few benefits that we pass every year that actually helps the working folks, the ones that are struggling to make ends meet, especially now. To have the ability to buy back to school clothing without having to pay sales tax is of enormous benefit to them,� said Rubio.

Governor Charlie Crist is also giving the tax holiday a green light.

�I know it�s going to turn around soon. The sun always comes up in
Florida,� said Crist.

Despite the support, as the budget crisis deepens lawmakers are asking if buying critical medicine for the sick is more important than saving a few dollars on school clothing. A June tax free week for hurricane supply shopping is also being considered this year. Combined, the two tax free weeks cost the state more than 70 million dollars.

Teens could no longer use cell phones while driving under legislation moving at the capitol. The bill would also make it illegal for any driver to send text messages. As Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers say the bill is about safety, but others say it doesn�t go far enough to protect drivers.

Today�s drivers are more distracted than ever. Navigation devices, Ipods, and of course cell phones compete with the road for drivers� attention. Senator Carey Baker wants teens to turn off their phones before they turn on their cars.

�Those who are under 18 who are still quiet frankly learning to drive who have not developed the skills to be a proficient driver and should not be on a cell phone,� said Baker.

A Senate committee unanimously agreed, approving a bill making it illegal for drivers under 18 to use their phones. The bill would also keep drivers of all ages from sending text messages. While the bill would ban text messaging while driving your car, it wouldn�t keep people from dialing their phone. Senator Frederica Wilson said Baker�s bill doesn�t go far enough. Wilson proposed legislation banning all drivers from texting and dialing their phones while on the road. Her bill was voted down.

�People are losing their lives. Their getting maimed,” said Wilson.

Bikers say when drivers are using their cell phones they�re not paying attention.

�These people are on their cell phones and you can watch them, wham. When you�re in rush hour traffic where can you go?� said biker Robert Conroy

Opponents of Bakers bill say it would be hard to prove whether or not a driver was texting or simply dialing a number. If the bill is signed into law, people caught texting while driving would have to pay a 60 dollar fine on top of court cost.

House and Senate education leaders said Tuesday they hope to hold school
funding cuts to less than two percent. The amount is significantly less
than the rest of government, which could see 10 percent cuts. The plan
is to shift money around, and allow each school district flexibility to
shift money from non-critical areas into the classroom. The plan also
hinges on weakening the class size amendment, allowing class sizes to be
counted as a school average rather than actual class sizes. Bill Montford of the School Superintendents Association says the change is the only way to make a bad year better.

�This will be one of the toughest that we�ve had in recent history. What
complicates it even more is the requirement of the class size reduction
amendment. That changes the rules considerable. That makes it much more
difficult. But with the flexibility the legislature is providing us, it
makes it much easier to meet these demands in a much much more
responsive way,� said Montford.

Votes approved the class size amendment in 2002. The plan for measuring
class sizes was developed by lawmakers and can be changed without
another vote of the public.

Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment packed a Senate Committee Tuesday to push the state to ratify the 1970’s amendment. Three more states are needed to ratify the amendment, but there is some legal question as to whether the timeline for ratification has passed. Supporter Sandy Oestreich said the state legislature shouldn�t be worrying whether the timeline for ratification has passed.

�It�s not up to this committee to decide what congress is going to do with it. This committee just has to say yes to equality for all regardless of gender, It�s a simple moral value. American value. Equality for all. That�s what this is about, nothing more,� said Oestreich.

The ERA has been heard for the last three years and has not passed more than a committee. It stands a slightly better chance of passage this year because its sponsor is retiring from the legislature.

Fifty or so former felons rallied on the steps of the state capitol Tuesday, asking the state legislature to automatically restore their civil rights. The state has taken big steps in notifying nonviolent offenders on how to apply for their rights, but in many cases, they still can�t get a professional license. State Senator Frederica Wilson has a bill that would make the restoration automatic and grant professional licenses while an application is pending.

�These are people who have gotten college degrees and everything, and because they did not have, in many cases, proper representation, their rights will never be restored and they can�t work,� said Wilson.

Similar legislation has failed the last two years.

Carnival Cruise Line customers may have a refund or credit sailing their way. The cruise line joined Royal Caribbean in settling a suit with the state over fuel surcharges. The companies began adding the surcharge to cruises November 1st, but in many cases, passengers booked the cruise much earlier and were not told their fares were increasing. Attorney General Bill McCollum said the amount of refund or credit will depend on the length of the cruise.

�It�s pretty much a standard fee for all Carnival cruises. You�ll have to ask them to make sure, but it is five dollars a day. One point one million bookings is what they have given us,� said McCollum.

If you think you are entitled to a refund, McCollum said wait a few weeks to be contacted. But if you do not hear from the cruise line, call his hot line at 1-866-No-Scam.

Lawmakers and health workers joined forces to point to what they say is an obvious solution to fill part of the budget gap. Florida has one of the lowest Cigarette taxes in the nation. The tax hasn�t been raised since 1990. Under the legislation smokers would have to cough up an extra buck for a pack of cigarettes. Lawmakers say the money would be used to fund health care.

�By increasing this cigarette user fee by one dollar, we will have the opportunity to prevent the massive cuts, the elimination of entire programs that we�re facing in the state now, close to a billion dollars in health care cuts,� said Senator Ted Deutch.

Supporters of the bill say raising the cigarette tax is a proven method to motivate smokers to kick the habit.

A bill to allow police officers to take bikers� motorcycles is speeding along in Tallahassee. Under the bill, bikers caught going 30 miles of more over the speed limit three times could have their bikes confiscated. The bill was drafted to cut down on Motorcycle fatalities, but bikers say the bill would have the opposite effect.

�People are going to die, that�s the thing. If I know you�re going to take my bike, I ain�t stopping, more people are going to die,� said bike Robert Conroy.

The bill also increases penalties for motorcyclists who pop wheelies on Florida�s Highways.