Tallahassee – For the first time in 16 years, the state wouldn’t offer sales-tax “holidays” under a House proposal that calls for an overall cut in sales taxes.

Tallahassee – A proposal that would require small businesses to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of newly hired workers started moving forward Apr. 1 in the House.

Tallahassee – A year after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill on the issue, lawmakers again are considering proposals aimed at imposing strict regulations on the sale and production of euphoria-inducing hemp products.

Tallahassee – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Mar. 31 argued Floridians aren’t “clamoring” for a sales-tax cut as House Speaker Daniel Perez proposed last week and said they would prefer reducing homeowners’ property taxes.

Tallahassee – Saying the Florida Department of Management Services’ “fiscal house is completely out of order,” a House budget leader Mar. 27 excoriated the head of the agency and threatened to zero out his salary as lawmakers prepare to begin budget negotiations.

Tallahassee – House Speaker Daniel Perez said Mar. 26 he wants to lower the state’s sales-tax rate, trimming revenue by almost $5 billion a year.

Perez, R-Miami, told House members he has directed Ways & Means Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, to produce a bill next week that would lower the rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.

Tallahassee – Florida lawmakers in 2023 passed a law aimed at starting high-school classes later in the morning, pointing to research showing that teens are not getting enough sleep.

Tallahassee – Amid a legal battle about an effort to drill for oil and gas near Northwest Florida’s Apalachicola River, state House and Senate panels Mar. 25 approved proposals aimed at shielding environmentally sensitive areas from drilling.

Tallahassee – A Florida Senate committee Mar. 25 approved a bill that would prevent insurers from using artificial intelligence as the sole basis for denying claims, with the proposal saying decisions should be made by a “qualified human professional,”

Tallahassee – A federal appeals court will hear arguments in May in a closely watched case about whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 improperly shifted permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.