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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Election Guide: Mayor (Jacksonville 2011)

This guide is for Jacksonville Mayor

The six candidates and their platforms:

1) Alvin Brown (Democrat).

"Provide smart incentives that make Jacksonville competitive for both large and small business projects."
Increase JAXPORT development and improvements.
"No tax hikes or new city fees."
"Modest adjustments to the current pension plans for city government employees."
"Save $25 million by moving all city employees and retirees to a direct deposit" system.
"Create a private sector funded initiative to use retired schoolteachers to tutor students of D and F schools."
Create a summer program for high school students on local college campuses.
Assist students by finding them a job "through our Public Private Partnership Plan."
Continue "the success of Jacksonville Journey."
Was a senior advisor for Urban Policy and the vice-chairman of the White House Community Empowerment Board under President Clinton.
"Explore the possibility of establishing a downtown development authority."
Have a "new convention center" downtown.
"Earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Jacksonville University."
"Honorary Doctorate from Edward Waters College."
Endorsed by the Central Labor Council.

Sources: http://www.alvinformayor.com/

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2011/02/14/mayor-candidate-alvin-brown-wins-labor.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_jacksonville+%28Jacksonville+Business+Journal%29

2) Mike Hogan (Republican).

B.A. Degree in Zoology.
A science teacher for two years.
Jacksonville City Council member from 1991-1999.
Florida State Representative from 2000-2003.
Duval County Tax Collector from 2003-present.
Endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, North Florida Central Labor Council, Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, Senator Steve Wise, and the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County.

Sources: http://hoganformayor.com/mike-hogan-home.php

3) Steve Irvine (NPA).

"Through education and prevention things can change."
Supports Project Return a program that sends offenders to Adult Education classes.
"Accept million of dollars in prevention funding from alcohol and tobacco industries that the city now rejects."
"Use the media to focus the city's attention to pressing problems."
"Cutting the Sheriffs budget."

Sources: http://savingjax.com/index.htm
http://www.projectreturn.com/index.php?name=program_components

4) Warren Lee (Democrat).

Was a correctional officer.
Make "JEA more efficient and accountable."
Won an "honorable mention from the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County.
Served four years in the Marines.
Will "cut the mayor's salary...by 50 percent."
Dredge the river to increase trade.
"Plans to amend the current charter, allowing the mayor's administration a say in school decisions."

Sources: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-02-20/story/profile-jacksonville-mayoral-candidate-warren-lee

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/193023/23/Candidate-Warren-Lee-wants-More-Jobs-Less-Crime

5) Audrey Moran (Republican).

"Will appoint a Chief Education Officer."
"In her first 90 days in office, Audrey will host a small business summit for business owners."
Served as Chief of Staff during Mayor Delaney's second term.
Graduate of Duke University's School of Law.
Endorsed by Jax Beach Mayor.
"We will not raise the property taxes of every citizen simply to pay for a broken pension program."

Sources: http://www.imwithaudrey.com/

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/paul-pinkham/2011-02-19/jax-beach-mayor-endorses-audrey-moran-other-beaches

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/paul-pinkham/2011-01-10/audrey-moran-qualifies-mayor-pledges-no-tax-increase

6) Rick Mullaney (Republican).

Has a "34-Point Plan to grow jobs and shrink government."
"Propose creating an urban medical district, with a medical school" downtown.
Increase investment in JAXPORT.
Use the Cecil Commerce Center.
Will help to "bring a nuclear aircraft carrier...to the First Coast."
Pension reform to include eliminating the 8.4% return in DROP, a minimum retirement age of 50 with 25 years of service, and increase the current contribution of seven percent to eight.
"Pay cuts for city employees...cut the mayor's salary and his staff's salary by twice as much."
"Will not allow automatic price increases or contract extensions" for city contracts.
"Modernize or privatize" the Information Technology Department and the Fleet Management Division.
"Stop wasting taxpayer money on the skyway."
A graduate of Forrest High School.
Law School at the University of Florida.
Was Mayor Delaney's first chief of staff.
Led the "creation of the city's first comprehensive code of ethics."

Sources: http://mullaneyformayor.com/

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Duval schools spend less on adminstrators than other districts

The report said 77 percent of Duval's operating expenditures are spent at the school level, one of the highest percentages the organization has seen.

"It makes me feel very good that we're minimizing our administrative cost and maximizing our instructional cost," said W.C. Gentry, School Board chairman.

The report also contradicted a frequent criticism of the district: that it's top-heavy with administrators.

Duval spends 6 percent of its pre-K-12 operating dollars on leadership and central operations management, according to the report. In comparison, districts in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta spend 15 percent and 12 percent, respectively, on management.

The report also revealed dramatic differences in the average teacher salary between some schools. For example, the average teacher salary at Andrew Jackson High School is slightly more than $35,000; Fletcher's average teacher salary is about $50,000.

The report on elementary schools also noted that the district's "lowest performing schools in Duval have the lowest performing teachers; the district must work to shift this distribution."

Another key finding was that Duval is spending almost $3,000 more per student in 17 of its smallest elementary schools than in 11 of its largest elementary schools.

ERS will produce a total of six reports, including looking at middle schools, high schools and human capital. The audit is costing the district $550,000, with the Jacksonville Public Education Fund kicking in $100,000 and raising an additional $100,000.

City Council renews Jacksonville Landing parking deal after Peyton balks at extension

The Jacksonville City Council cloned a deal Tuesday to improve parking at The Jacksonville Landing, just as the original was dying of old age.

Council members voted 13-0 for an exact copy of a bill they approved last year over Mayor John Peyton's veto - with a new deadline extending the offer to Sept. 30.

Peyton's reaction was just like last year, too.

"If that is the case, then the mayor will veto it," said Kristen Beach, a Peyton spokeswoman. "The only deal point that would change is the extension of the date."

The council voted last year to offer Landing owner Toney Sleiman $3.5 million to use in a $5 million purchase of a 300-space parking lot at Hogan and Bay streets. That offer was about six hours away from expiring when the council voted to re-create it in a separate piece of legislation.

UNF named to Princeton Review's 'best value' colleges

The Princeton Review's annual report on the nation's colleges has listed the University of North Florida among the top 50 public colleges when it comes to value.

UNF was on the list in 2007 and 2009, but dropped off last year. The Princeton Review praised its access to merit-based and need-based financial aid for students and the school's smaller classroom settings in putting it back on the list.

The cost of tuition is below the national average, the Review said, and students typically graduate with about $15,000 in debt. They also noted the school's efforts to embrace military veterans, the recent upgrade to Division I athletics and required internships as draws for students.

Court backs law protecting vaccine makers

In a 6-2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court decision denying a Pennsylvania family the right to sue a vaccine maker, preserving a 25-year arrangement aimed at shielding manufacturers from lawsuits that would keep such disease-prevention products off the market.

Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the court, said the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act defended a legal quid pro quo set up to encourage domestic producers while providing qualified relief for those hurt by the new vaccines.

“The vaccine manufacturers fund an informal, efficient compensation program for vaccine injuries in exchange for avoiding costly tort litigation and occasional disproportionate jury verdict,” the court ruling said.

The purpose of the law was to balance two competing interests. Vaccine makers are generally protected from liability lawsuits while providing direct compensation, outside the courts, to families who can prove harm from a vaccine.

The 1986 vaccine act does not allow families to sue a vaccine maker over “design defects,” because taxing the drug manufacturers’ products while leaving them exposed to lawsuits over the “design” of those products “would hardly coax them back into the market,” the majority opinion said.

Ignition interlocks cut drunken driving: study

Ignition devices that stop drivers from starting their vehicles if they are over the alcohol limit help prevent people convicted of driving under the influence from re-offending, according to a new study.

Re-arrest rates for alcohol-impaired driving decrease by 67 percent after the ignition interlocks are installed compared to drivers with suspended licenses, said the study by researchers at the Community Guide branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Crashes by people driving under the influence resulted in nearly 11,000 deaths in the United States in 2009, representing one third of all traffic deaths, the CDC said. The annual cost of impaired driving is $110 billion.

Report shows Duval's lowest-performing schools have more novice teachers

The Duval County School Board reacted to a report Tuesday that students in Duval County's lowest-performing elementary schools were two times more likely to have novice teachers and 3.5 times less likely to have teachers who receive incentive pay.

Those were among the findings from Education Resource Strategies, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit hired by the school system to look at how it uses its resources and comparing that with other large urban districts.

Bank Closings Tilt Toward Poor Areas

In 2010, for the first time in 15 years, more bank branches closed than opened across the United States. An analysis of government data shows, however, that even as banks shut branches in poorer areas, they continued to expand in wealthier ones, despite decades of government regulations requiring financial institutions to meet the credit needs of poor and middle-class neighborhoods.

The number of bank branches fell to 98,517 in 2010, from 99,550 the previous year, a loss of nearly 1,000 locations, according to data compiled by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

In low-income areas, where the median household income was below $25,000, and in moderate-income areas, where the medium household income was between $25,000 and $50,000, the number of branches declined by 396 between 2008 and 2010. In neighborhoods where household income was above $100,000, by contrast, 82 branches were added during the same period.

Government drops defense of anti-gay-marriage law

The Obama administration on Wednesday said it no longer will defend the constitutionality of a federal law that bans recognition of same-sex marriage.

In a statement Wednesday, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said President Obama has concluded that the administration no longer can defend the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Number of U.S. militia groups rises: report

The number of U.S. militia groups that oppose government expansion and conduct para-military training grew rapidly in 2010, an organization that monitors hate groups said on Wednesday.

The number grew to 824 groups in 2010 from 512 the previous year, an increase of 61 percent, said the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which is based in Montgomery, Alabama.

Supreme Court allows lawsuits over seat belts

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal regulations setting vehicle safety standards do not bar lawsuits seeking damages from automakers for installing lap-only seat belts.

The unanimous ruling held that a California lawsuit against Mazda Motor Corp over a fatal 2002 collision involving a 1993 Mazda minivan could proceed. A passenger sitting in a rear seat and wearing a lap-only seat belt was killed.

The lawsuit by the family of the passenger, Thanh Williamson, claimed that the minivan was defectively designed because it lacked a lap-and-shoulder seat belt for the rear seat.

Mazda said it complied with federal safety regulations in effect at the time and that an appellate court in California correctly ruled the product liability lawsuit could not go forward.

The Supreme Court overturned the appellate court ruling.

Justice Stephen Breyer said in the court's opinion that the federal safety regulation does not preempt state tort lawsuits claiming manufacturers should have installed lap-and-shoulder belts, instead of lap-only belts, on rear inner seats.

The ruling adopted the position argued by the Obama administration, which said the California and other courts have interpreted federal law too broadly in barring lawsuits against automakers that put in lap-only seat belts. It said the federal regulations were meant only as minimum standards.

The vehicle safety regulations have been changed, and most passenger vehicles built after September 1, 2007, include shoulder-and-lap seat belts in all rear seats that face forward.

E.P.A. Scales Back Emission Rules

Responding to a changed political climate and a court-ordered deadline, the Obama administration issued significantly revised new air pollution rules on Wednesday that will make it easier for operators of thousands of industrial boilers and incinerators to meet federal air quality standards.

The new regulations represent a major step back from more demanding and costly rules proposed last spring that provoked an outcry from members of Congress from both parties and from thousands of affected businesses. One industry-financed study said the proposed standard would cost businesses $20 billion to comply and cause the loss of more than 300,000 jobs.

E.P.A. officials said on Wednesday that the altered rule would cost half as much as the previous proposal while achieving virtually the same health benefits. The agency pegged compliance costs for the new version of the rule at $2.1 billion a year and said it would generate more than 2,000 new jobs.

Gina McCarthy, director of the E.P.A.’s air and radiation office, said that the pollution reductions would save from 2,600 to 6,600 lives per year by 2014 and avert 4,100 heart attacks and 42,000 asthma attacks annually.

“These health protections will save between $23 billion and $56 billion in health-related costs,” Ms. McCarthy said in a conference call for reporters. “They are realistic, they are achievable, and they are reasonable, and they come at roughly half the cost to comply compared to that in the proposed rule in May 2010.”

The rule issued on Wednesday affects roughly 200,000 boilers, small power plants and incinerators operated by factories, chemical plants, municipalities, universities, churches and commercial buildings.

About 187,000 of these are relatively small sources of the target pollutants — lead, mercury, soot and toxic gases — and will have to do little more than perform routine “tune-ups” every year or two to meet the new standard. They will be allowed to achieve the cuts using readily available control technology at what the E.P.A. said was a reasonable cost. The agency said the earlier version, which would have required boiler operators to apply “maximum achievable control technology,” set too high a bar.

Urban schoolkids lag in science learning: study

Public school students in the nation's largest cities, many from low-income households, trail their peers elsewhere in the United States in a test of science proficiency, said a report released on Thursday.

Fourth- and eighth-graders in most of the 17 participating urban districts typically scored lower than the national average, according to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress Science.

The report card showed that 44 percent of fourth-graders at schools in cities with a population of at least 250,000 fall below the standard for basic proficiency in science, compared to 29 percent nationally.

At the eighth grade level 56 percent of big city public school students fell below the basic standard compared to 38 percent nationally.

Public Defender's Office Moving, to Save Taxpayers Hundreds of Thousands

The moving vans soon to appear in front of the public defender's office will relieve taxpayers of more than $60,000 per month in rent.

According to public defender Matt Shirk, the city pays the $60,869 monthly rent at its current office location at the corner of Market and Forsyth streets.

Obama signs sanctions on Libya

The Obama administration is freezing assets held by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and four of his children in the United States.

The Treasury Department says the sanctions against Gadhafi, three of his sons and a daughter also apply to the Libyan government.

The action was taken under an executive order signed Friday by President Barack Obama.

Obama says the U.S. is imposing unilateral sanctions on Libya because continued violence there poses an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to America's national security and foreign policy.

The president acted after hundreds of Americans were safely evacuated from Libya following days of bloodshed across the country. Militias loyal to Gadhafi have been firing on protesters who have been demanding the Libyan leader's ouster.

The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, a Canadian research organization, estimates that Libya's Investment Authority controls total assets of $70 billion, making it the 13th largest such fund in the world.

The U.S. maintained a stiff embargo against Libya, but in recent years had begun easing some restrictions as a result of Qaddafi's willingness to cooperate in ending his nuclear ambitions and aiding in counterterrorism efforts.

He said that U.S. intelligence agencies would closely monitor Libyan officials for any evidence of involvement in human rights violations. "We want to make sure that violations of human rights are held accountable," he said.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Fla. Lottery's education funding hits $22 billion

The Florida Lottery's contributions to the state's education system have reached $22 billion.

Lottery officials Friday reported the 23-year total including $1.25 billion in the 2009-10 budget year.

It was the eighth straight year that the Lottery's contribution to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund has topped $1 billion.

Few states follow mental-health gun law

More than half the states are not complying with a post-Virginia Tech law that requires them to share the names of mentally ill people with the national background-check system to prevent them from buying guns, an Associated Press review has found.

The deadline for complying with the three-year-old law was last month. But nine states haven't supplied any names to the database. Seventeen others have sent in fewer than 25, meaning gun dealers around the U.S. could be running names of would-be buyers against a woefully incomplete list.

Congress has doled out only a fraction of the $1.3 billion it promised between 2009 and 2013 to help states and courts cover the costs of the 2008 law.

In fiscal year 2009, the U.S. government dispensed about $10 million to the states to comply, not the $187.5 million pledged, according to the Justice Department. A year later, $20 million was provided.

JEA falls in business service study

JEA has fallen this year to second-to-last place from fourth in terms of commercial customer satisfaction among mid-size utilities in the South, according to a recent study released by J.D. Power and Associates.

JEA scored 620 points on a 1,000-point scale, and the average score of similar utilities was 660, according the 2011 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. There are 10 utilities in the mid-size category in the South.

Jacksonville Receives Federal Money for New JTA Buses

The city has 4 million more ways to go green, thanks to a federal grant.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced the receipt of a $4 million grant that will be used to purchase up to eight new hybrid buses for its fleet.

JTA is undergoing a fleet replacement program already, and this money will contribute to that, making JTA the only agency in the state to receive the grant money.

The grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Clean Fuels Grant Program.

New credit card rules not hurting borrowers: study

A private lending watchdog group said on Wednesday that sweeping rule changes imposed on credit card issuers last year by the U.S. Congress had increased transparency for borrowers without restricting the availability of credit.

When the law, known as the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, went into full effect last February, financial companies warned it would make it harder for consumers to get credit cards and more expensive for those who did.

But a study by the Center for Responsible Lending of card company activity following the law's implementation found that credit providers had not raised the real interest rates they charge consumers in the wake of the new rules or cut back on their willingness to extend credit.

Direct-mail credit card offers to consumers -- a key industry marketing technique -- continue to be extended at a volume and pace consistent with economic conditions, suggesting, said that the contraction in credit availability the industry warned would follow has not materialized, the study said..

Looking at five different sets of numbers, including the Federal Reserve Board and official lender filings with regulators, the Center found that only one thing had changed over the past year: The interest rates that card companies tout in their solicitations have gone up.

But the actual rates consumers pay have not gone up. The Center said the narrowing between so-called "stated rates" and real rates meant card companies were being more transparent about the cost of the credit they are providing consumers.

It also estimated that as much as $12.1 billion in previously hidden annual charges were now being clearly disclosed in credit card offers.

Supreme Court seeks 80 more Fla. trial judges

he Florida Supreme Court asked the Legislature on Thursday for 80 more trial judges, saying their workloads have increased in part because their support staffs have been reduced to save money.

The justices conceded the state's dire financial situation likely will mean a fifth year with no additional positions although caseloads have grown including an avalanche of foreclosure filings. They asked for 90 new positions last year and got none.

The staff reductions plus more filings mean judges have less time to spend on each case. Some judges say that means the quality of justice has suffered.

"We find that observation troubling," the justices wrote in the unanimous but unsigned opinion.

The Florida Constitution requires the Supreme Court to annually certify the need, if any, for additional judges. The high court bases its recommendations on a formula that takes into account caseload and the time judges need to resolve various kinds of cases.

No new trial judgeships and only one appellate position were created in the past four budget years. That leaves Florida with 61 appellate, 599 circuit and 322 trial judges.

The opinion notes the court system has lost 249 staff positions due to budget cuts over the past several years.

Fla. scraps high-speed rail plan pushed by Obama

Florida Gov. Rick Scott canceled plans for a high-speed train line between Orlando and Tampa promoted by President Barack Obama, saying Wednesday it would cost the state too much even with $2.4 billion in federal help.

Cost overruns could put Florida on the hook for another $3 billion and once completed, there's a good chance ridership won't pay for the operating cost, meaning the state would have to pump more money into the line each year, Scott said.

Less than half the U.S.-Mexico border secured: report

Less than half of the United States' porous southwest border with Mexico is under the operational control of the U.S. Border Patrol, a government watchdog reported on Tuesday.

The study by the Government Accountability Office said that the Border Patrol had achieved "varying levels of operational control" over just 873 miles, or 44 percent, of the nearly 2,000-mile border by the end of last year.

The report found that the number of miles under operational control increased an average of 126 miles per year from 2005 through 2010.

The GAO, which is the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, noted that only 129 of those miles, or 15 percent, were classified as "controlled" -- the highest level for detecting and arresting intruders.

Of the 1,120 miles of the border where operational control had not been achieved, around two-thirds were classified as "monitored," meaning that the Border Patrol had a high probability of detecting intrusions, although their ability to respond depended on the available resources.

The Obama Budget

The budget figures show an estimated deficit next year of $1.09 trillion; that drops to $846 billion in 2013 and $770 billion in 2014, but the deficit never drops below that latter level in projections out to 2021.

First, let's go through some of the highlights for each Cabinet department and a few well known agencies.

* Agriculture - gets $23.9 billion, a cut of $3.2 billion
* Commerce - $8.8 billion, with cuts linked to no Census funding
* Defense - basic budget is $553 billion, but real funding is over $650 billion
* Education - $77.4 billion budget is up 11%
* Energy - $29.5 billion is a 12% increase over 2010
* HHS - Health & Human Services gets $79.9 billion, a slight increase
* Homeland Security - $43.2 billion, up $309 million
* HUD - Housing & Urban Development gets $48 billion, up $900 million
* Interior - $12 billion budget is about the same level
* Justice - $28.2 billion is a 2% increase
* Labor - $12.8 billion is a 5% cut
* State - State Department/foreign gets $47 billion, up 1%
* Transportation - $13.4 billion is down $1.3 billion
* Treasury - $14 billion is up 4%
* Veterans Affairs - $61.85 billion up 10.6%
* NASA - $18.7 billion, the same as 2010
* EPA - $9 billion, down $1.3 billion
* NSF - National Science Foundation gets $7.8 billion, up 13%

As for tax provisions, there are a lot of them in this budget. Let's see if we can hit some of the highlights. All figures mentioned here are over a 10 year period.

First, we start with "Tax Cuts for Families and Individuals":

* Extend earned income tax credit for larger families - $12.3 billion
* Expand child & dependent care tax credit - $9.6 billion
* Automatic enrollment in IRA's, plus - $14.3 billion
* Extend American opportunity tax credit - $93.5 billion
* Increase tax on cap gains/dividens for top earners - $123 billion

Next, "Tax Cuts for Businesses."

Enhance/make permanent research tax credit - $106 billion
Extra tax credits for advanced energy investment - $3.6 billion

The plan would also pay for three years of relief dealing with the Alternative Minimum Tax by reducing the value of certain tax expenditures, with a price tag of $321.2 billion over ten years.

"Other Revenue Changes and Loophole Closers:"

* Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee on banks - $30 billion
* Reinstate Superfund taxes - $20.8 billion
* Make Unemployment Insurance surtax permanent - $15 billion
* Repeal LIFO method of accounting - $52.8 billion
* Reform US international tax system - $129.2 billion
* Reform treatment of insurance companies/products - $7.6 billion
* Eliminate tax breaks for coal industry - $2.6 billion
* Eliminate oil and gas industry breaks - $43 billion
* Tax carried profits as ordinary income - $14.8 billion
* Improve business tax compliance - $8.7 billion

The total of what the White House calls "revenue changes and loophole closers" is $356.4 billion over ten years.

Jacksonville to upgrade computer system with caution

Jacksonville is planning to spend about $7 million over the next two years to upgrade its back-office computer system - a type of project that has resulted in costly and catastrophic failure in other municipalities.

But the way the city is going about the switch ameliorates the dangers, several experts in these types of transitions said. Many such projects fail because the organization changes direction in midstream or employees fail to adapt to new systems, but the mayor's office is looking to spend $2 million this year to get a path laid out first.

If all goes well, the changes should allow the city to operate more efficiently and to provide more data both to employees and the public.

The multi-year project involves switching things like payroll, accounting and procurement to an "enterprise resource planning system," replacing the 25-year-old technology the city now uses. As well as upgrading hardware and software, the new system will require some employees to do their jobs in a different way, forcing a change in workplace culture as information is shared differently and job descriptions are modified.

Oak Park, Ill., began to switch to an ERP system in 2003. Five years and $1.6 million later, nothing was installed. More recently, Marion County, Ind., spent $30 million - and sued its consultant, who countersued - for a project that started in 2005 and was abandoned last year.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Key Vote: Health Care Repeal

Health Care Repeal

- Vote Rejected (47-51, 2 Not Voting)

During the debate over the Federal Aviation Administration bill, the Senate rejected this amendment that would have repealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The text was similar to the bill the House passed on January 19, 2011.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted NO
Sen. Marco Rubio voted YES

Key Vote: Presidential Campaign Fund Termination

Presidential Campaign Fund Termination

- Vote Passed (239-160, 35 Not Voting)

The House voted to end a program put in place in 1976 that provides taxpayer funds to presidential candidates and the major parties for their nominating conventions. The bill's future in the Senate is unclear.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw voted YES

Key Vote: Non-Security Discretionary Spending Limit

Non-Security Discretionary Spending Limit

- Vote Passed (256-165, 13 Not Voting)

The House approved this resolution directing the chair of the Budget Committee to reduce non-security spending to 2008 levels for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year. The Budget Committee sets spending levels but does not appropriate funds. The continuing resolution currently funding government operations expires on March 4, 2011.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw voted YES

Key Vote: Secret Holds Elimination

Secret Holds Elimination

- Vote Agreed to (92-4, 4 Not Voting)

The Senate spent much of the week debating procedural rules. One of the rule changes the chamber passed was this one that ends the practice of “secret holds,” where a senator anonymously blocks legislation or a nomination. The rule change requires a senator to notify his or her party leader within 2 days of placing a hold.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES
Sen. Marco Rubio voted YES

Study finds promised pensions in Fla. too costly

Florida's cities and counties have promised pensions they can't afford, according to researchers at Florida State University.

Pension obligations made up about 8 percent of total spending by local governments in 2009, according to a report released Wednesday by the nonprofit, nonpartisan LeRoy Collins Institute at Florida State.

The researchers examined the retirement costs of large cities and found that all were underfunded. Orlando's and Fort Lauderdale's pension shortfalls each totaled 30 percent, according to the report.

Health care benefits promised to retirees also were underfunded, researchers said.

Minority Students and A.P. Program, a Mixed Report Card

More minority high school students are achieving success on Advanced Placement exams that can get them college credit, but they are still underrepresented in the nation’s A.P. classrooms, according to a report just released by the College Board, which administers the program.

More than 853,000 public high school seniors in last May’s graduating class, or 28 percent of the class, took at least one A.P. exam. Some 59 percent of those who took the tests earned a grade of 3, 4 or 5, which are required for college credit.

African-Americans, for example, represented just over 14.6 percent of the total high school graduating class last year, but made up less than 4 percent of the A.P. student population who earned a score of 3 or better on at least one exam.

Number of Fla. students taking AP exams rises

More Florida students are taking at least one Advanced Placement exam by the time they graduate, though many don't score high enough to earn college credit.

College Board results released Wednesday show that 65,741 seniors in 2010 had taken an Advanced Placement exam at some point during high school, and 33,712 scored a three or higher.

Most colleges require a three or four in order to earn course credit.

Overall, 43.5 percent of all Florida seniors had taken an AP exam, and 22.3 percent had scored at least a three on those tests. Nationwide, 16.9 percent of high school seniors had scored at least a three.

Obama Plans to Rescue States With Debt Burdens

President Obama is proposing to ride to the rescue of states that have borrowed billions of dollars from the federal government to continue paying unemployment benefits during the economic downturn. His plan would give the states a two-year breather before automatic tax increases would hit employers, and before states would have to start paying interest on the loans.

Even more worrisome, to some states, is that current law would effectively raise taxes on employers by about $21 per worker in nearly half the states so they could start paying down their debt, which states worry would put pressure on businesses that have already been reluctant to hire in the downturn.

In his budget, officials said, Mr. Obama will call for deferring interest payments on the debt and postponing the automatic tax increases. Then, in 2014, to bring that money back into federal coffers, the administration proposes to raise the minimum level on which employers pay taxes.

Current law requires states to collect unemployment taxes on at least the first $7,000 of income; that minimum has not been raised in decades.

The president’s proposal would raise that minimum taxable wage base to $15,000. The rate of the federal portion of the unemployment taxes would then be lowered, so the proposal would not raise federal taxes on states that do not owe the federal government money. But it would speed the rate at which states that do owe money repay the federal government, and allow states to collect more unemployment taxes to rebuild their trust funds if they do not lower their tax rates.

Growing ranks of older drivers among safest on Florida roads

State crash statistics shows that older adults have fewer crashes than young people, who have the highest crash rates, but also fewer than drivers in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

In 2009, the crash rate for 65-year-old Florida drivers was 106.75 per 10,000 licensed drivers. At 75, it was 98.27 and at 85, it was 88.85.

Compare that to 20-year-old drivers at 348.58 crashes per 10,000 licensed drivers. At 40, it was 205.7. At 50, it was 172.86.

That trend bears out nationally as well.

Obama lays out plan for wireless Internet expansion

His administration has endorsed making 500 megahertz of wireless airwaves, or spectrum, available over the next decade to meet the growing demand for broadband services, including the widely popular Apple iPad and proliferation of smartphones.

The Federal Communications Commission hopes to "repurpose" 120 megahertz of spectrum through incentive auctions where television broadcasters would voluntarily give up spectrum in exchange for a portion of the auction proceeds.

"By selling private companies the rights to these airwaves, we won't just encourage private investment and expand wireless access; we'll actually going to bring in revenues that lower our deficits," Obama said.

The White House said it expects those auctions and more efficient use of government spectrum to raise $27.8 billion over the next decade. That figure is an estimate, however, and could end up lower or higher depending on the success of the auctioning process.

Congress must pass legislation to give the FCC the authority to conduct the incentive auctions. There could be resistance from lawmakers if they fear the auctions could apply undue pressure to broadcasters in their districts to give up spectrum.

In addition to the fund to help rural areas, Obama proposes putting $3 billion from those proceeds toward "research and development of emerging wireless technologies and applications," the White House said in a statement ahead of the president's trip.

Another $9.6 billion from the proceeds would be applied to curbing the deficit, a key goal of Obama's next two years in office and a top demand from Republicans, who control the House of Representatives and will likely make deficit reduction a high profile topic in the 2012 presidential campaign.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Report: Fees may motivate Fla. adult ed students

A legislative report says charging nominal fees may motivate Florida's adult education students to make better learning gains and help cut costs for the cash-strapped state.

Friday's report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability, though, acknowledged some students may be unable to afford fees even as low as $50 to $100 a year.

With no room to put snow, Eastern waterways beckon

It's allowed in emergency situations, and some officials staring at massive snow mountains in densely populated areas of the winter-walloped Northeast say that time is now, even as others warn dumping snow in water comes with big problems.

"There's a lot of stuff in this snow that if I isolated it and threw it in the river, you'd have me arrested," said John Lipscomb of the New York-based environmental group Riverkeeper.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency doesn't directly regulate dumping snow but recommends against dumping it in water. It also urges state and local governments to include snow disposal restrictions in storm water management plans. Some states and municipalities restrict dumping snow into waterways out of fear of harming water life and polluting drinking water. Massachusetts is one of them.

Warning signs missed in Fort Hood killings

Federal authorities ignored warnings that could have prevented a 2009 massacre at an Army base, two U.S. senators said in a report on Thursday that outlined intelligence failures similar to those in the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Most states used "rainy day funds" in recession

Almost all U.S. states relied on their "rainy day funds" when the economic recession began to ravage their budgets, showing that the reserves will be critical during the next downturn and states should consider putting even more money away, a think tank said on Thursday.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which closely tracks states' fiscal situations, found that over 70 percent have used their reserves to address budget gaps.

At the beginning of the recession, 41 states had rainy day funds and reserves that totaled at least 5 percent of their budgets. By 2010, only 22 states had reserves, CBPP said.

Weiss: Florida among worst for banking

When it comes to strength and solvency, Florida is among the worst states for banking, according to a new report released by Weiss Ratings.

Nearly 80 percent of the 532 banks and thrifts in Florida are considered weak and have received a D-plus or lower Weiss Financial Strength rating.

The findings are based on capital, earnings, asset quality and liquidity.

The Weiss study found that, on average, 5.1 percent of the banks and thrifts in Florida have failed each year since 2008.

Census estimates show big gains for US minorities

Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for roughly 85 percent of the nation's population growth over the last decade - one of the largest shares ever - with Hispanics accounting for much of the gain in many of the states picking up new House seats.

Preliminary census estimates also suggest the number of multiracial Americans jumped roughly 20 percent since 2000, to over 5 million.

Egypt street violence: Few options for Obama administration

The Obama administration has already taken sides, expressing support for the “legitimate needs and grievances expressed by the Egyptian people,” as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton puts it. It’s promised – read “threatened” – a review of the $1.5 billion the US provides Egypt every year in foreign aid, most of that for military and other security programs. And President Obama has called for an “orderly transition” to a post-Mubarak government that “must begin now."

But the Egyptian president – whose one-man rule has lasted nearly 30 years – is digging in his heels, refusing to relinquish power until next September’s elections there.

Does everyone need a college degree? Maybe not, says Harvard study.

A new report released by Harvard Wednesday states in some of the strongest terms yet that such a “college for all” emphasis may actually harm many American students – keeping them from having a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood and a viable career.

“The American system for preparing young people to lead productive and prosperous lives as adults is clearly badly broken,” concludes the report, “Pathways to Prosperity” (pdf).

Despite a clear message that college is important – and a pervasive desire among young students to attend college – only about 30 percent of Americans complete a bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s, with another 10 percent completing an associate’s degree by then. A massive effort in recent decades to increase those numbers has improved them only slightly.

62 cities added jobs in 2010, but not Jax

Sixty-two of the top 100 markets posted higher private-sector employment figures at the end of last year than in the final month of 2009, according to data released Wednesday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jacksonville ranked 69 on the list, losing 800 jobs for the year.

U.S. illegal immigrant population steady

The study by the Pew Hispanic Center noted 11.2 million illegal immigrants living and working in the shadows in the United States in March 2010, virtually unchanged from a year earlier.

The report, which drew on U.S. Census Bureau data, noted the number of illegal immigrants in the workforce remained steady at around 8 million.

Scott wants Fla. employees to pay toward pensions

Gov. Rick Scott wants to cut pension benefits for state workers, teachers and many local government employees while also requiring that they contribute 5 percent of their salaries to the Florida Retirement System.

The new Republican governor also said Tuesday he didn't think he's politicizing the rollout of his budget recommendations by doing it at a tea party event next week in Eustis.

Scott jetted to Naples, his hometown, to announce that his recommended pension changes would save $2.8 billion over two years.

Florida is the only state that doesn't require at least some employees to contribute to their pension plan. Scott said that's not fair to other taxpayers.

Pensions are hardly lavish, averaging $16,000 to $23,000 a year, Templin said.

Study puts spotlight on red-light cameras

The national debate over red-light cameras is heating up again as a new analysis from a traffic safety group argues that the controversial devices saved 159 lives in 14 cities during a five-year period.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says red-light cameras reduced the rate of fatal red-light running by 24% from 2004 to 2008. Had the cameras been installed in all U.S. cities with populations above 200,000, 815 deaths would have been prevented, says the Insurance Institute, a group funded by auto insurers that aims to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage caused by crashes on the nation's roads.

‘Virtual fence’ got late review of costs, benefits

A Homeland Security report made public in January that accompanied a statement canceling the virtual-fence project, dubbed SBInet, conceded that only last year did department officials conduct a comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis of the project on the U.S.-Mexico border — four years after the plan had been approved and at a time the project was behind schedule, over budget and facing costly overruns.

The department said it did not until last year formally assess the operational value of the system against the projected costs, even though the contract was awarded in 2006 and such tests are normally a prerequisite for a project of that size.

The report determined that the virtual-fence project was “not the most efficient, effective and economical way to meet our nation’s border security needs,” although by then, the department had spent $1 billion for 53 miles of protection along the 1,969-mile U.S.-Mexico border as part of the much-heralded SBInet program.

Homeland Security’s assessment coincided with a stinging report in October by the GAO, the latest in a series of negative reports by the watchdog agency on SBInet that began in 2007. The GAO said Homeland Security had failed to effectively manage the project or give sufficient oversight to its prime contractor, the Boeing Co.

Yuck! Report says Jacksonville Drinking Water is Not Clean

ut according to a new report, there may be big problems lurking in that water. The Environmental Working Group, or EWG, studied Jacksonville water for five years.

Its tests found 23 different toxic chemicals, from cleaning by-products, including chloroform to lead, arsenic and carcinogens with levels higher than allowed by the federal government.

Those tests ranked the River City 10th for the worst water in the country.

But Gerri Boyce, spokesperson for the JEA, said it runs more than 25,000 tests every year on its drinking water. "Jacksonville water is very safe," she said.

The report is wrong and misleading, she said. "It's an unregulated group and the data is not scientific, and it's not comprehensive. You have to compare apples to apples and that's not what is happening in this case," said Boyce.