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Florida lawmakers are doing battle over providing health care to a million working poor Floridians. Not expanding health care with Federal money could end up increasing health insurance costs for everyone with insurance.

Florida currently gets one point two billion in federal money to pay for emergency room visits and hospital care for people who can’t pay. Its called the Low income pool, or LIP.

The Feds told lawmakers last year that without an expansion of Medicaid..part of the Presidents plan…the money would go away. US Senator Bill Nelson was in the State Capitol telling lawmakers, the feds aren’t blinking.

“The Federal government will not renew LIP as it is now because they told them over a year ago that its not going to continue” says Nelson.

The State Senate has a plan…the House doesn’t. Kim Williams of A Healthy Florida Works says it is time for the House to get off the dime, or everyone is going to pay higher insurance.

“And when you bring down the uncompensated care, you take away the need to raise the rates on private insurance holders in Florida, like ME as a business owner and like  my employees who pay a part of their insurance coverage.”

Joe Negron is the point man for the Senate . Publicly…he is optimistic.

But so far the Governor has been mum on any Medicaid expansion.

House leaders are sticking to their guns. Rep. Tom Goodson of Titusville says

“you know, we have another whole month, anything could happen.”

Q:”So there is room for negotiation?”

“I didn’t say that. I said anything could happen.”

And while bridging the health care gap is possible…It’s looking more and more like it won’t happen before May first, when lawmakers are set to go home. Anchor Tag: Without a budget, legislators will have to go into special session at a cost of $65,000 a day.

Today is the halfway mark in the Florida Legislative session and both the House and Senate debated their differing budget plans. Both chambers, to the dismay of environmentalists who pushed the land buying and conservation amendment approved by 75 percent of voters last November, about 200 million dollars from last years budget is being included in spending for conservation lands. Aliki Moncrief says the spending isn’t honoring voters intent.

“It’s a bit of a shell game, unfortunately, and certainly not what the voters intended. The voters expect to see more land protected. People don’t want to see their neighborhood parks paved over. People want to be able to go out and and enjoy the amazing nature features out state supports.”

Both budgets use Amendment One money to fund managerial positions that were already in last budgets and do not represent an expansion of environmental programs.

The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence is partnering with Allstate Insurance to help domestic violence survivors learn more about financial literacy. FCDAV President Tiffany Carr says surveys of domestic abuse victims came to a clear conclusion.

“98 percent report that their finances were controlled as part of the abuse. 98 percent have told us they need help rebuilding their credit, and they need help rebuilding their lives.”

Florida has 42 certified domestic violence centers where last year survivors and their children spent more than a half million nights.

State lawmakers spent the day asking questions about the state budget. The two chambers disagree over health care funding for the poor, but they are in general agreement when it comes to funding schools. House Education Budget Chairman Erik Fresen of Miami told House members that schools will see a historic increase.

“The FEFP budget increases the funds per student by 3 point one one percent, which is a two hundred and fourteen dollar and 74 cent per student increase. This increase provides a historic level of funding per student, exceeding the highest level of funding previously funded, which was in 07-08.”

While there is more money for schools, it isn’t coming from state coffers. The increase is based on higher property tax collections at the local level due to increased property values.

The Florida Senate looks like it’s poised to pass a plan that would expand Medicaid in the state which could help almost one million Floridians. But as Matt Galka tells us, some conservatives are feeling heat from their own supporters.

Margarita Romo says members of Farmworkers Self Help – the group she established to provide assistance to migrant farm workers – know all too well the pains of falling into the Medicaid coverage gap.

“I don’t know why we get so wrapped up in thinking that we have to pass a budget and that it has to kill a lot of people in order for it to be right,” she said.

Romo said expansion is important not just for adults, but thousands of children who have to wait years for a doctor’s visit.

The Florida Senate is pushing an expansion plan called the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, or FHIX.  FHIX would require low-income Floridians to work or use copays instead of receiving insurance subsidies.

Skylar Zander with conservative group Americans for Prosperity are now on the attack.  The group, funded by the billionaire Koch brothers,   are sending out mailers to constituents of 25 Senators, including the Senate president, urging them to speak out about the move.

“This is a very bloated expansion and the citizens need to know that,” said Zander.

Senator Anitere Flores (R-Miami) is brushing off the criticism.

“I understand Americans for Prosperity has a job to do and I get it, but the fact is that we have a job as legislators, we have a job that we have to ensure that Floridians have access to healthcare. That it’s affordable, that it’s something they can use. We’re fulfilling our job and we’re doing it in a responsible way,” said Sen. Flores.

Some Senators say they’re fully willing to push session into overtime if the House doesn’t come around on the idea.

“My peers are already prepared to continue this session on, not Sine Die, and force the House to make a decision,” said Kissimmee Democrat Darren Soto.

The House has so far rejected the idea of any form of expansion.

Today, members of the Senate were in Washington to discuss healthcare funding, including Medicaid and other options, with federal officials.

There were dozens of angry women in the State Capitol today who were denied a chance to speak against a controversial 24 hour waiting period for abortions. Only two speakers, one for and one against got just seconds to make their case before the committee.

The legislation requires a woman seeking an abortion to make not one, but two visits on different days to a doctor before the procedure can be performed.

Eleanor Sobel sought to allow the consultation to be by phone or electronic communication.

“She physically would not have to make those two trips. It’s a burden for many women, especially those who travel long distance” Sobel told the Senate Health Policy Committee.

“Yea. All opposed please say nay. Nay.” the amendment was voted down.

More than 30 people signed up to speak. Just two got the chance.

Julia Costas is a Tallahassee Attorney. “I had an abortion over 30 years ago and years later I came to regret that decision.”

Dr. Christopher M. Estes works with Planned Parenthood. “This will place our patients in difficult situations, having an unnecessary delay in care” says Estes.

The lack of testimony prompted an outburst from the crowd, which applauded. But the lack of testimony one way or the other din’t stop the committee from approving waiting period along party lines.

“I just find it wrong” says terri Wonder, who drove 5 hours from Bradenton not to be heard. “And it was purposely, obviously, purposely put just before lunchtime to stifle free debate” said wonder afterward.

The legislation has two more committee stops, but one of those committees is chaired by the sponsor.

After the passage, supporters dressed in 1960’s garb…when abortions were illegal, delivered petitions to both presiding officers, but got to see neither.

The House version of the legislation has its final committee hearing at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

An expanded version of medical marijuana cleared the Senate Health Policy Committee today. The bill expands last years low THC law from five to 20 distributors and allows them to be selected by a lottery. Anneliese Clark traveled from St. Johns County on the east coast to show the committee pictures of her ten year old daughter. A year ago she was given no hope of surviving.

“We were told by her neurologist that we needed to believe in God because there were no other options for her, so we chose to turn to cannabis. This was her one year later” said Clark.

Q: Pretty remarkable?

“Its very remarkable. She made it 100 days without a seizure. She eats three meals a day. She is trying to walk again.

Opponents say the THC level allowed in the new proposal is too low to help many patients. They vow to push ahead with another constitutional amendment if lawmakers don’t increase allowable dosages.

People who smoke in their cars with kids under 13 could be stopped by police under legislation approved five to one in a state Senate Health Policy Committee today. The fine for non moving violations ranges from $116 to $129 dollars. Sen. Arthenia Joyner of Tamp[a says the legislation is appropriate because kids in the back seat don’t have a choice.

“We should not allow them to expose children to the possibility of years of health failings.”

If approved, the legislation would take effect October first.

Lawmakers are pushing a bill that could cut down on juvenile arrests and hopefully still set kids on the right path, but as Matt Galka tells us, retailers are worried it could end up costing them.

Edward Barnes says an arrest when he was a kid sent his life barreling down the wrong path.

“By profession I used to teach middle school, and as a result of that juvenile record I lost my career,” said Barnes.

Barnes travelled from Daytona Beach to tell lawmakers to support expanding the juvenile citation program.  First-time offenders are eligible to receive citations or  be put into diversion programs.  A proposal moving in the Capitol would allow those methods to be used on the second offense or beyond.

Retailers are worried that the bill could limit consequences for shoplifters, and that could end up costing the stores.

“Organized retail crime goes beyond what people normally think of as simple shoplifting, it’s a $2 billion dollar criminal enterprise in the state of Florida,” said Samantha Padgett with the Florida Retail Federation.

Padgett says without a limit on the program, juveniles could continue shoplifting or be recruited into shoplifting crime rings.

“It says you can issue it for a second or subsequent offense and it puts no limit on that. What we would prefer is a limit of three,” she said.

The bill passed its first committee overwhelmingly with lawmakers open to giving kids a second chance.

“If the members who are on this committee held to account for everything they did as children or juveniles, I have a sneaky suspicion that many of us would not be sitting here,” said Rep. Ross Spano (R-Riverview).

The proposal has the backing of the Florida Smart Justice Alliance and faith groups like the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Even lawmakers who supported the bill said it’s important that police have the ability to know in the field if a juvenile has been in the citation program already.

Pilot too inexperienced

Florida Aviation analyst Jay Rollins spent 25 years as a Captain flying International routes for American Airlines. He now teaches aviation at a south Florida flight school and at the University of Miami. Rollins says the co-pilot of the ill fated Germanwings flight should never have been hired with 600 hours. 1500 hours are required in the U-S. Rollins also says pilots should be required to sign waivers so their medical histories can be shared with the FAA.

“When it comes to reporting, the doctors are somehow cut off from reporting to the airline because of privacy concerns. That has to be loosened for public safety purposes. Perhaps the pilot should be required to sign waivers that allows the company, allows the  FAA to get those medical records”says Rollins

Rollins also says co-workers  who spend hours together in the cockpit should have a mechanism for sharing information about each other to the company when red flags appear.

Florida voters put class size limits into the constitution in 2002. As Matt Galka tells us, a bill passed by the Florida House would give schools a break for exceeding the class size numbers, but opponents say that’s not what voters wanted.

A little more than a decade ago, Florida voters put caps on class sizes into the constitution.  18 students from pre-K through third grade. 22 students from 4^th grade to 8^th grade. And 25 students in high school.  The limits have been costing schools. Schools are fined for every class that goes over the limit.

A bill that overwhelmingly passed the Florida House would ease the limits and base penalties on average class sizes.  The House speaker says lawmakers are still following the will of the voters.

“We’re trying to find what’s best for the districts, and the districts have found that this is a better way to go and we agree with that. And we’re going to continue to see if that’s something that the Senate will agree with us on,” said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.

Only three members of the House opposed the bill, all were Democrats.

Representative Jose Rodriguez (D-Miami) district is no stranger to the class size penalties, but he said the problem could be fixed if the legislature was funding public schools.

“Anything that weakens the intent of the voters of the class size amendment is not something we can support,” he said.

The state has spent around $30 billion dollars since 2003 devoted to class size requirements. That money has gone towards building new schools and hiring teachers.

In 2010, an amendment was rejected by Florida voters that largely did the same thing that today’s House bill does: determining class size by the school’s average.

The Florida House of Representatives has given tentative approval this afternoon to make it easier for school districts to adopt standard uniform policies for kindergarten through eight grade. Under state law, uniforms are already allowed, but this legislation offers an encouragement.

The legislation offers a ten dollar per student incentive for districts that adopt uniforms…or as the legislature like to call it Standard student attire.  State Representative Joe Geller initially hated the idea.  “I though, well, that’s going to destroy creativity, enhances conformity, it can’t be a good thing.”

But then he says he heard the facts.

“And it reduces bullying, and it reduces teasing and reduces kids saying, you know, you’re not in the right clothes” says Geller.

5 districts already have uniforms…Sponsor Janet Adkins asked them to testify about the experience. “They were all saying the same thing and that is when they implemented a school uniform policy in their school,s, the climate, the culture at their schools improved. Its an issue of school safety, helps with school truancy” says Adkins.

Even the supporters of the idea worry about those students who can’t afford uniforms.

Some schools in Sarasota, which Ray Pilon represents. also require uniforms. He says cost is an issue for some.

“I think all of the things about uniforms and peer pressure are good. I just want to make sure that those who have the least can also take advantage of it, and I’m sure we’ll work that out” says Pilon.

There are nearly two million students in kindergarten through eight grade. The ten million dollar appropriation attached to the bill is enough for about half the schools to share the stipend on a first come basis.

The five counties with district wide uniforms are Alaucha, Bay, Madison, Polk, and Osceola.

One lawmaker likened legislation making major changes in the body that regulates high school sports in Florida to hitting a donkey on the head with a 2 x 4. The House Education committee today passed legislation requiring a complete shakeup of the governing organization, reorganizing its board and membership, allowing students to attend any school. Sponsor Manny Diaz says the message to the the Florida High School Athletic Association that student athletes are innocent until proven guilty and should be allowed to participate until then.

“We found that the date shows that most of the athletes that go through the appeal process are found eligible at the end of the process. But once they’ve gotten through the process they’ve now missed 30 to 45 days of participation.  So this really allows them, the parents and the school to make a decision if they feel they have as strong case allow them to participate. It they are found eligible at the end, they didn’t miss any time. If they are found ineligible at the en then there is a penalty to the team or the individual” says Diaz.

Opponent Reggie Fullwood of Jacksonville fears the legislation will allow athletes to be recruited or shop for schools.

“The opportunity is now there for kids to enroll in charter schools that don;t have certain sports so they can intentionally go and play for any team they want in the county. I just think there needs to be some clear zones set up so you can’t pick any school in the county” says Fullwood.

The legislation also sets the year 2017 for the Commissioner of Education to recommend whether FHSAA continues regulating sports or if it should be taken over by another entity.

Destination resort casinos, the future of greyhound racing, and renewing the compact that allows blackjack in certain places around the state. All were topics of discussion for lawmakers today, and as Matt Galka tells us, the odds are against getting many of the proposals to pass.

A four hour long workshop saw legislators diving into a heated gambling debate.  They heard from dozens of stakeholders on what’s best for the future of gaming in the state.

Outsiders said putting a Las Vegas type strip wouldn’t corrupt the state.

“Make no mistake, the tribal facilities in Florida are Las Vegas style casinos. The one in Tampa does a billion dollars in revenue a year, one of the most profitable in the world, the sky did not fall when they opened up. Crime rates didn’t increase in Hillsborough County,” said Nick Iarossi with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

But John Sowinski with anti-gaming group “No Casinos” says expansion would ruin the family friendly Florida brand.

“To say that casinos don’t create more crime in that zip code is like saying cigarette factories don’t increase cancer rates around the cigarette factory, this is a problem people take home with them,” said Sowinski.

The workshop comes at a time when the state is trying to renew its compact deal with the Seminole Tribe – an exclusive deal that allows their tribes casinos to run blackjack and other table games.  The deal has brought $1 billion dollars to the state and expires in July.

“I encouraged them to participate in this work shop today but they determined they were not going to do that,” said House Majority Leader Dana Young (R-Tampa).

Young is pushing a comprehensive gaming bill that could pave the way for more casinos in the state and create oversight.

She said it’s too early to determine how many members supported it.

“This is a gaming bill and gaming bills never come up until the last couple days of session,” said Rep. Young.

The bill would force the Seminoles to give up their exclusive gaming rights, something they’re not on board with. The talks have reportedly been stalled since January.

There’s another dog in the gambling fight: the Florida Greyhound Association. They don’t want to see the legislature decouple – which would allow them to operate poker and slots without having to run dog races.

A turf war over your health care options is heating up at the State Capitol. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, it has to do with giving Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners more authority at the expense of doctors.

Elizabeth Markovich isn’t a doctor, but she has a Doctorate degree in nursing and more than 15 years experience.. She treats patients but can’t prescribe most medications. “I can’t prescribe that without waiting for a signature from our calibrating physician” says the nursing veteran

At the state Capitol this committee room was packed with white coats representing just about every facet of medicine…all of them but one in favor of giving nurse practitioners autonomy from doctors and allowing them prescribing authority. The one group opposed: the Flordia Medical Association and its President Dr. Alan Pillersdorf. Pres. FL Medication Association

“We don’t want to divide the care of a patient and put in compartments” Pillersdorf told the committee.  Committee members, including Rep Jose Oliva (R-Miami) a future House Speaker, had strong words for the MD’s and their opposition.

“Lets continue to let the supervision happen, but lets make it illegal to charge for that supervision and lets see how long that motivation would remain” says Oliva

The legislation passed. Afterwards, Sponsor Dr. Cary Pigman took issue with the need for supervision’ “It’s not the kind of supervision you would like to think,  where there is cooperation back and forth.”

“So the current system is kind of a sham?”

“I”m afraid it is” responded Pigman.

Jean Aertker of Tampa has been a nurse practitioner since 1984.

“and this will help clarify some of the outdated laws” she says.

Even the sponsor, who is a doctor, concedes this is going to be a multi year effort. And that means Compromise may be in the air…giving ARNP’s more prescribing authority, but keeping a doctor in the loop.

Florida is the most restricting state in its regulation of Advanced degree nurses. A typical supervising doctor may charge as many as 5 ARNPs fifty thousand dollars a year and still operate a medical practice.