Government and politics

The Florida Legislature passed it’s austere 70 Billion dollar budget this past weekend. Among the many cuts included in this year’s budget, lawmakers agreed to cut funding for the state’s higher education system. WUFT’FM’s Trent Kelly reports on how these budget cuts could affect students and employees at the University …

National Guard training starts up again at Camp Blanding this weekend and Florida National Guard Spokesman Ron Tittle says it may mean more noise in to the night. He says the drills will also illuminate the sky, but there is no risk to the community. An Alabama batallion will be …

Republican State Representative from Ocala, Dennis Baxley says he’s pleased with the budget process in Tallahassee, though he admits the economy has taken a toll on a wide variety of workers in the state. Baxley talked with WUFT-FM’s Lisa Stengel. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/FPBAXLEYshort.mp3]

Elections officials from 6 African countries came to Gainesville today to kick off their tour of the American voting system. The Trans-Saharan Elections project is funded through a State Department grant, and University of Florida Political Science Professor Daniel Smith says there is a high interest in proper voting procedure, …

The Florida Legislature is considering a bill to cut down early voting time. As Florida’s 89.1 WUFT FM’s Lysette Portales reports, the measure would also affect primary elections. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/EarlyVotingWrap.mp3]

A new House bill will require recipients of a certain welfare program to submit to drug screening. As Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM Diana Arellano reports, the bill aims to make sure recipients are using the money they receive for the right reasons. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/WelfareDrugTestingWrap.mp3]

With summer nearing, the Florida legislature is re-evaluating laws placed on summer camps. As Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM Kamryn Deegan reports, new Florida laws place stricter background check requirements on summer camp workers. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/BackgroundCheckwrap.mp3]

Florida Senate’s Judiciary Committee approved a bill requiring the parents of a minor to be notified by certified mail before an abortion procedure. Senator Alan Hays says, this bill is one of a series of anti-abortion laws moving through the legislature.

Efforts are being made to make the election process in Florida more transparent. As Florida’s 89-point-one WUFT-FM’s Steven Gallo reports, an area representative is proposing a bill to keep voting more honest. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/ElectionTransparencyBill.mp3]

The Florida house and senate are struggling to reconcile their drafts of Florida’s budget. Lawmakers have yet to agree on even some preliminary issues which have kept their proposals from moving to a conference committee. There are 13 days left in the legislative session.