October 15, 2012, Written by Adam Liptak, WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether Arizona may require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections. The federal appeals court in San Francisco blocked the state law in April, saying it conflicted with a federal one.
News Release Category: Industry News
Unions spread cash to liberal super PACs
October 15, 2012 , Written by Rick Levinthall, Politico – The Citizens United decision gave corporations and unions new powers to spend money for political purposes, and organized labor is taking advantage of late. The United Auto Workers funneled more than $5.44 million this summer into its super PAC, the UAW Education Fund, a super PAC, new federal records show.
Absentee-ballot war: 500,000 Floridians have voted; Democrats slightly trail Republicans
October 17, 2012, Written by: Marc Caputo, The Miami Herald – In a sign of the intense interest in the presidential race, about 500,000 Floridians have already cast absentee ballots and that number is growing by the day.More than 1.8 million additional voters have requested the ballots, which are typically mailed in. The heaviest voting so far is taking place in Tampa Bay, Miami-Dade and the so-called Interstate 4 corridor in the center of the state. Generally, whoever wins the I-4 corridor — the swing area of the swing state — wins the election. Overall, Republicans lead Democrats in the number of voted absentee ballots so far, by a 45-40 percent spread. That’s despite the fact that registered Democrats exceed Republicans by a 4-percentage-point margin in the state.
Nelson, Mack meet in bitter Fla. Senate debate
October 17, 2012, Written by: Brendan Farrington, TBO.com – DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — The first and only debate between Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican challenger Rep. Connie Mack IV Wednesday came across almost like the old school-yard taunt, “I know you are, but what am I?” Both candidates accused each other of lying about the other’s records, both used the “there you go again” line made famous three decades ago by President Ronald Reagan and both strayed from the subject of questions to take shots at the other. The debate wasn’t so much a look at what the candidates will support if elected, but rather a lot of finger pointing about each other’s records to date.
Final debate turns focus to Florida
October 21, 2012, New York Times, Herald Tribuen – In Florida, which wrote the book on battleground states in 2000, “it’s going to be hand-to-hand combat all the way down,” a senior adviser to the Romney campaign, Brett Doster, said over the weekend. When Vice President Joe Biden visited Orlando on Saturday, he skipped a public rally in favor of dropping in on a campaign office, where he urged volunteers to canvass their neighborhoods — “the thing that matters the most.”
BP urges U.S. judge to approve US$7.8-billion oil-spill settlement
October 23, 2012, Laurel Brubaker Calkins and Margaret Cronin Fisk, Bloomberg News – BP PLC urged a U.S. federal judge to approve a proposed US$7.8-billion settlement of thousands of claims by coastal businesses and property owners who sued over economic damages from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. “The settlement will bring full compensation to all class members, including those on the Gulf Coast, while resolving a major component of the Deepwater Horizon litigation,” BP lawyers said Monday in an after-hours filing in New Orleans. “The alternative is all-out litigation that would last many years and have an uncertain outcome for class members.”
2010 health care law: Next steps for restaurateurs
(NRA) – Employers should not wait until 2014 to determine the impact on their business. Now is the time to understand the law’s requirements and what it will take to comply. For the 10 steps to take now to prepare for the health care law click here.
Gov. Scott agrees to expand Florida Medicaid program
February 20,2013 , Associated Press – TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott announced plans Wednesday to expand Medicaid coverage to roughly 900,000 more people under the federal health overhaul, a surprise decision from the vocal critic of President Barack Obama’s plan. Scott said he will ask the Legislature to expand the program under a bill that would expire in three years, after which it would require renewed legislative support. He’s the seventh Republican governor so far to propose expanding the taxpayer-funded health insurance program.
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FHP not enforcing law that could hurt tourism industry
February 22, 2013, By Margaret Kavanagh, FLORIDA — A new law that went into effect January 1 could hurt tourism in our state, an industry that employs hundreds of thousands of people here in Florida. This law is so controversial, it’s caused an outcry among international travelers and now Florida Highway Patrol officials say they’re not going to enforce it. Visiting from Venezuela on vacation, Jose Osamonao and his mother said he showed his driver’s license from his home county and got a rental car. Osamonao said he loves Florida. He said they are going to the theme parks and doing a lot of shopping. Read More…
Feds Check Wage Theft
(Source: The Gainesville Sun, April 5, 2013)
The Gainesville Sun’s recent coverage of wage theft in Alachua County has led the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to plan an upcoming investigation into the issue in the Gainesville-area restaurant industry.
The Jacksonville district office of the Wage and Hour Division plans to launch an investigation to determine if wage theft is a problem among local restaurants, said District Director Michael Young. The office decided to investigate as a result of The Sun’s reporting.
Common forms of wage theft include mandatory off-the-clock work and tips-only compensation. The Alachua County Commission is considering an ordinance that would allow the county to mediate worker-employer disputes over unpaid wages.
Typically, the Jacksonville district office targets a specific industry or geographical area for investigation — in this case, both — to determine whether wage theft is widespread. If the initial investigation indicates a problem, the office will expand its investigation accordingly to cover more establishments or a wider region.
To read more click here.