Marijuana, guns and conservation on
agenda for 2015 Florida legislature
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[March 03, 2015]
By Bill Cotterell
TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) - Florida's
legislature convenes on Tuesday with lawmakers expected to grapple
during the 60-day annual session with measures including allowing
concealed guns on college campuses and permitting doctors to prescribe
medical marijuana.
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Discussion of casino gambling, a now-perennial clash between
out-of-state gambling interests and entrenched family resort
companies like Walt Disney Co, will also stir controversy in the
next two months.
In addition, lawmakers will likely argue over how approximately $1
billion a year in real estate and land development taxes should be
spent on conservation. The spending, mandated by a constitutional
amendment approved by voters, could go to such projects as
Everglades cleanup and beach restoration.
For a third straight year, outnumbered Democrats are trying to
expand the state’s Medicaid program by accepting about $50 billion
in federal funding over the next 10 years — extending healthcare for
about a million poor people — but Republicans who control the
legislature remain opposed to anything derived from President Barack
Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
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Governor Rick Scott, a conservative Republican narrowly re-elected
last November, will officially start the session with the annual
"State of the State" address on Tuesday, outlining his $77 billion
budget.
Scott will propose $673 million in tax reductions, including cuts in
cell phone and cable TV levies, and a lowering of taxes on corporate
profits.
A shooting incident at Florida State University on Nov. 20 in which
two students were wounded and the gunman killed triggered renewed
interest in repealing the exemption of college campuses from the
state law allowing gun owners to get concealed weapons permits.
University presidents and faculty organizations have spoken out
strongly against allowing guns on campus, but the National Rifle
Association and conservative Republican legislators are pushing the
proposal.
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A medical marijuana constitutional amendment fell short of the
required 60 percent voter approval last November, but a new public
petition drive is underway to put a similar measure on the 2016
state ballot. Supporters hope the ballot drive will pressure
lawmakers to pass legislation permitting prescription pot.
The state’s five-year, $1 billion casino compact with the Seminole
tribes runs out on July 1. Legislators will debate proposals to
expand banked card games and slot machine gambling beyond the tribal
reservations in what has become a high-stakes annual competition
between major gambling companies and the family-oriented attractions
deeply rooted in Florida.
(Reporting by Bill Cotterell; Editing by David Adams and Eric Beech)
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