June 19, 2012, (Written by Cameron Joseph – The Hill). Democratic hopes of recapturing the House are dimming as a series of race-by-race setbacks and economic uncertainty suggest that the 25 seats they need to net might be out of reach. The Hill projects that Democrats will net somewhere between 10 and 15 seats, assuming the presidential election remains a close contest.
News Release Category: Industry News
Gaming rules to be repealed without hearing
June 18, 2012, (Gray Rohrer – The Florida Current) A meeting to repeal about a dozen rules regulating pari-mutuel and slot machines operations scheduled for Monday was cancelled when no one requested a hearing. Since a hearing was not held, the filing deadline for the rule repeals is Aug. 23, and they will take effect Sept. 12.
Lawsuit calls Florida voter purge discrimination
June 18, 2012, (Written by The Associated Press – Tampa Bay Online). TALLAHASSEE — Florida is getting sued again over its contentious push to remove potentially ineligible voters from the rolls. Several groups that work with immigrants and Puerto Ricans are filing a lawsuit Tuesday in a Miami federal court. They contend the purge violates federal law because it is within 90 days of an election and because the effort largely affects Hispanics.
Obama, Romney court Hispanic vote at Orlando conference
June 20, 2012, (Written by Lloyd Dunkelberger – Herald Tribune). Over the next two days, Florida will again become a hot spot in the 2012 presidential campaign as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney court Hispanic leaders attending a national conference in Orlando. Heading into the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) meeting, Obama has the stronger hand. Last Friday, the president announced a landmark program that could benefit more than 800,000 children of illegal immigrants.
Another Democrat enters 2nd Congressional contest
June 21, 2012, (Written by Associated Press – Herald Tribune). TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Tallahassee attorney Mark Schlakman is the latest Democrat to jump into the 2nd District Congressional race and a shot at first-term Republican incumbent Steve Southerland. Schlakman joins a crowded Democratic field that includes former state legislator Al Lawson of Tallahassee, state Rep. Leonard Bembry of Greenville, former Bay County Democratic Party Chairman Alvin Peters and environmental activist Jay Liles.
Bills Effective Sunday, July 1,2012
June 29, 2012 – There are over 150 bills with an effective date of Sunday, July 1, 2012. 150 bills from the 2012 legislative session — and two from the 2011 legislative session. The report does not include bills vetoed by Governor Rick Scott or bills effective July 1, 2013.
AH&LA – Per Diem Rates May Be Slashed
July 20, 2012, (Written by AH&LA) – The General Services Administration (GSA) is seeking to reduce travel costs by changing the way it calculates per diem rates (GSA sets hotel per diem rates for the federal government). Smith Travel Research (STR) provides GSA with room rate data from hotels throughout the United States. GSA determines hotel average daily rates (ADR) by including rates from hotels in the “mid-price range.” Those rates are gathered from independent, midscale, upscale, upper upscale properties. GSA omits rates from economy and luxury hotels from the data as it considers them outside the mid-price range (too low and too high, respectively).
Speak Out Against Proposed ‘Per Diem’ Change
July 20, 2012 (Written by Waldorf Astoria) – Your help is needed in opposing a proposed change in the way federal per diem rates are calculated. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is considering removing “upper upscale” hotels (which would include the Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Embassy Suites brands, among others) from its per diem rate formula calculation. This could reduce the lodging per diem rate for federal travelers as much as 30% in major markets, which could cause all brands to see less government revenue. In urban core markets, full-service hotels will likely be priced out of range for federal travelers.
Casino giant hedging its bets on gambling expansion in Florida
July 23, 2012, (Written by Mary Ellen Klas – Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau) TALLAHASSEE — The Genting Group, the Malaysian casino giant, is seeding its bets across Florida’s political spectrum this election year as it continues to secure the foothold it needs to build a Miami casino empire. The company, which bought the Miami Herald building in downtown Miami with $236 million in cash in 2011 and tried unsuccessfully to get destination resort casinos approved by lawmakers this year, has spent $1.3 million so far in the 2012 election cycle and has embarked on a two-pronged political strategy.
Casino giant’s election year strategy: big checks, many bets
July 22, 2012, (Written by Tampa Bay Times) – Genting Group, the Malaysian casino giant, is seeding its bets across Florida’s political spectrum this election year as it continues to secure the foothold it needs to build a Miami casino empire. The company, which bought the Miami Herald building in downtown Miami with $236 million in cash in 2011 and tried unsuccessfully to get destination resort casinos approved by lawmakers this year, has spent $1.3 million so far in the 2012 election cycle and has embarked on a two-pronged political strategy.