A House committee wants to require women in Florida to get an ultrasound before they can get an abortion. ...more

March 18, 2009

Lawmakers vowed Tuesday to all but strip AIG executives of their $165 million in bonuses as expressions of outrage swelled in Congress over eye-catching extra income for employees of a firm that has received billions in taxpayer bailout money. ...more

March 18, 2009

The Senate's chief budget writer says lawmakers may consider a pay cut for state employees. ...more

March 16, 2009

Lawmakers got the bad financial news most were expecting Friday when state economists said they now expect general revenue to be down about $1 billion in the current budget year and more than $2 billion in the next one compared with estimates made four months ago. ...more

March 14, 2009

The agency that oversees Florida's six privately run prisons needs to ensure that problems found during audits — such as broken alarms and unsanitary infirmaries — are quickly fixed, lawmakers were told today as part of a report reviewing the agency. ...more

March 12, 2009

WASHINGTON - Acknowledging it's an "imperfect" bill, President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will accept a $410 billion spending package that includes billions in earmarks like those he promised to curb in last year's campaign. But he insisted the bill must signal an "end to the old way of doing business." ...more

March 11, 2009

Lawmakers might raise the cost of a pack of cigarettes by as much as a dollar this year - but don't accuse them of raising "taxes." ...more

March 10, 2009

Legislation to extend law enforcement officers' "bill of rights" should be called the "Keep Bad Cops Employed Act." If adopted, it will be virtually impossible for police and sheriff departments to cleanse miscreants from their ranks. ...more

March 9, 2009

Buy a pair of prescription glasses or contacts in Florida, and there's no tax, but lawmakers are taking a closer look at that tax exemption and others. ...more

March 5, 2009

After meeting for a year, a group that advises the Hillsborough County schools superintendent has come up with some ideas to meet the demands of Florida's stringent class-size law. ...more

March 5, 2009