Working & The Economy
Menendez, other U.S. Senate Democrats vent frustrations after new ruling against DACA
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Wednesday declared illegal the Biden administration’s revised version of a program that protects hundreds of thousands of people brought into the country as children from deportation, and U.S. Senate Democrats, advocates and the White House on Thursday decried the decision. “I think that Congress should act, but it has been incapable of […]
Democrats push to extend child care grant program
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to extend funding for five years for a pandemic-era child care subsidy program set to expire at the end of the month. The legislation would extend the child care stabilization grant program, which Congress established in 2021 to help child care providers meet additional costs during the […]
Attempting to reverse the tide, a South FL House Democrat files bill to protect tenant rights
The 2023 legislative session was a brutal one for tenant rights in Florida, with state lawmakers passing bills preempting local tenant protection ordinances and eliminating local governments from enacting rent control laws. Now a South Florida House Democrat is trying to bring back some rights to renters. West Palm Beach state Rep. Jervonte Edmonds has filed legislation for the […]
U.S. House conservatives balk at short-term funding patch that would avert shutdown
WASHINGTON — The most conservative Republicans in the U.S. House announced Tuesday they won’t support the short-term spending bill that’s needed to stop a partial government shutdown from beginning on Oct. 1. Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, said the group is not interested in a stopgap spending bill that “continues the policies […]
How energy-efficient rebates to help households became a political fight between DeSantis and feds
What started out with an $8.8-billion federal program to help low-income households nationwide save on electricity bills and upgrade homes with clean energy equipment has become a political fight, with Gov. Ron DeSantis ignoring the massive, federally funded rebate programs for Floridians. In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy allocated $346.3 million for the […]
Battles over spending, farm bill, Ukraine and yet more loom over a divided Congress
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House and Senate are both back in D.C. on Tuesday following a long summer recess, facing an overwhelming agenda of unfinished work — funding the federal government and reauthorizing major programs set to expire at the end of the month. Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden have only a few weeks […]
Millions more workers would receive overtime pay under proposed Biden administration rule
Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation. The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers compensate full-time workers in management, administrative, or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The change […]
Biden to nominate former FAA deputy to lead aviation agency
President Joe Biden chose a new nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday, months after the U.S. Senate blocked his first choice. Biden intends to nominate Michael G. Whitaker, an executive at Supernal, a company working on an electric air vehicle, and a former deputy FAA administrator during President Barack Obama’s administration, according […]
After court complaint, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost says he’s paid off credit card debt
An aide to Orlando Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost says he has paid back $4,000 in debt that he owed to Bank of America. BofA filed a complaint against Frost in small claims court in Orange County on Aug. 18, citing his failure to pay off the $4,000 credit card debt. In its complaint, the bank […]
Estimated insurance losses from Idalia now near $90 million, state says
The state has seen nearly $90 million in estimated insurance loss claims from Hurricane Idalia, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), representing 11,283 claims made so far. Insurance companies were required to begin submitting data to the OIR beginning Friday at noon. The agency notes that these are preliminary data, as they […]
Labor Day: Unions, groups galvanized by attacks, politics, extreme policies forced down on us
All elections have consequences, but some trigger an even more powerful backlash. That’s what is happening in Florida today in response to the state legislature and governor’s office bulldozing their way over so many basic rights while ignoring the essential needs of everyday Floridians. These hyper-partisan Tallahassee politicians waged distracting culture and “woke” wars endangering […]
DeSantis cites ‘significant’ damage to Big Bend, but many Florida K-12 schools are already open
Thirty of the 52 Florida school systems that closed due to the hurricane are already open, with another eight expected to reopen tomorrow, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday. However, schools in Taylor, Madison, Lafayette, Hamilton, Jefferson and Dixie will remain closed through Friday, September 1, according to the Florida Department of […]