State Government Capitol Update

BRADENTON — Despite mounting pressure, legislators seem set on avoiding both Medicaid expansion or the Senate's "alternative" plan to offer vouchers for qualifying Floridians to buy plans on the private market. A bill that would limit standardized testing in Florida schools is headed to the Governor's desk and a controversial bill regarding gay adoption bans is moving forward.

Medicaid Expansion

More than 800,000 Floridians who don't have health insurance are hoping the Florida Legislature changes its mind in the final weeks of its annual session. That outcome, however, seems increasingly unlikely.

Last week, House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran (R-Land O' Lakes), who will be the next Speaker, made it clear that he has no intention to "dance" with the Senate.

The Senate has yet to pass their plan, which, if it somehow made it through the House, would also need approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before it qualified for the federal funds (the agency has rejected similar maneuvers from other states). Even then, Governor Scott would have to sign it into law, something he suggested he might not do, when he recently reversed course on the issue for a third time.

Scott is not facing re-election and was a staunch opponent of all things Obamacare before coming to political office. Whether the governor is planning to run for the U.S. Senate in 2018 or to return to the private health care industry, he might view a veto as his best play.  

Testing

HB 7069 reduces the portion of a teacher’s evaluation tied to student performance from the 50 percent to one-third, while capping the amount of time spent on state and school district tests at 45 hours per year.

The bill also puts a temporary halt to using test data for school grades, teacher evaluations and student promotion until such time that the new Florida Standards Assessments can be independently validated.

Finally, it gets rid of a requirement that school districts come up with end-of-course tests in classes that are not part of the state exams.

Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida’s Future praised the bill, while the state's largest teacher's union, the Florida Education Association, supported it, while adding that it doesn’t go far enough.

Gay adoption

The Florida House moved forward on a controversial measure that would allow private adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples.

HB 7111 offers “conscience protection” to private adoption agencies whose “written religious or moral convictions” do not allow them to place children with same-sex couples.

It is a response to HB 7013, which would repeal a decades-old law banning gay adoption in Florida. The law is not enforced because the policy was struck down in court six years ago.

The 2015 Florida Legislative Session ends May 1.