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Measure to allow campaign funds for child care expenses glides through first committee hearing

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floridaphoenix.com – Mitch Perry – 2025-02-18 09:50:00

Measure to allow campaign funds for child care expenses glides through first committee hearing

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
February 18, 2025

A proposal to let candidates spend campaign funds used for campaign-related childcare expenses if the expense derives from the candidates’ campaigns advanced unanimously on Tuesday in its first hearing before a legislative committee in Tallahassee.

Existing state law prohibits a candidate or spouse of a candidate from using campaign funds to defray living expenses for them or their family other than for transportation, meals, and lodging for the candidate or family member during a campaign.

A 2018 advisory opinion from the Federal Election Commission declared that campaign funds may be used to pay for a candidate’s childcare expenses incurred directly from campaign activity. Since then, 13 states have enacted their own laws allowing candidates running in state and local contests to use financial contributions for campaign-related child-care expenses.

“The campaign’s funds cannot be used for general family living. They have to be directly tied to a campaign-related event, and they can’t cover just routine childcare,” said South Florida Democratic state Sen. Lori Berman in describing the legislation (SB 72) before the Senate Ethics & Elections Committee.

“I think that this is a great bill because we’re going to encourage more working families, more working parents, to be able to run for office,” she added. “And they certainly bring a different perspective because they are part of the workforce.”

Only about 8% of state legislators around the country are mothers with children under 18, according to a recently released report by the Vote Mama Foundation. That means that they’re represented in state legislatures at less than half the rate they appear in the general population.

A companion to the bill in the House (HB 61) is being sponsored by Sarasota Republican Fiona McFarland & Palm Beach Democrat Kelly Skidmore.

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Man who had gun and knife will plead guilty to trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh

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www.clickorlando.com – Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press – 2025-04-02 11:00:00

SUMMARY: Nicholas John Roske of California will plead guilty to attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022. Arrested near Kavanaugh’s Maryland home with weapons and zip ties, Roske was reportedly motivated by the leaked draft opinion to overturn *Roe v. Wade* and concerns about gun laws after the Uvalde shooting. He told police he planned to kill multiple justices. Roske contacted 911 before being apprehended by U.S. marshals. He will plead guilty without a deal with prosecutors and faces life in prison. A hearing is expected soon. A trial was scheduled for June 9, pending no plea.

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Florida special election results: GOP keeps 2 U.S. House seats in Florida

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www.youtube.com – FOX 35 Orlando – 2025-04-02 06:03:00

SUMMARY: In Florida’s special election, Republicans retained two U.S. House seats. State Senator Randy Fine won District 6, securing 56% of the vote, defeating Josh Wheel, who received 42%. Fine will replace Mike Waltz. In District 1, Florida CFO Jimmy Petronis won with 57% of the vote, taking over Matt Gaetz’s vacated seat. Fine credited President Trump for his victory, despite Wheel raising significantly more funds. Republicans now hold 220 seats in the House, with Democrats at 213. Wheel conceded, highlighting his campaign’s success and urging focus on issues like education and veterans’ care.

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Randy Fine won Tuesday’s special election for a vacant congressional seat that the president carried by 30 points less than five months ago. The seat opened up after Mike Waltz was tapped to be Trump’s national security adviser in what was widely seen then as a move without much political risk. Fine defeated Democrat challenger Josh Weil. Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis defeated his challenger, Gay Valimont, to fill former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat.

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Counting the potential toll of Trump’s tariffs on major Asian economies

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www.news4jax.com – Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press – 2025-04-02 05:09:00

SUMMARY: U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalated trade war poses challenges for Asian economies reliant on exports. His tariffs, aimed at reshoring U.S. manufacturing, impact trade agreements and increase uncertainty. China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and India all face consequences. China’s EV exports and U.S. LNG imports are hit, Japan’s auto sector is threatened, and Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam may invest more in U.S. factories. India, with strong pharmaceutical exports, is also vulnerable. Though some companies are shifting production out of China, the unpredictability of U.S. policy keeps many cautious. Tariff hikes continue reshaping global trade and economic strategies across Asia.

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