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Sunday, April 21, is Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2013, as estimated by Florida TaxWatch. On that day, Floridians are finally earning money for themselves–not for the tax collector. This symbolic date assumes that every dollar earned since January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local tax obligations.
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According to this Briefing, progress on the organization of state-owned lands and facilities records has been made, although there is more to be done. The large, yet basic database has been established, but the important tasks of maintaining its relevance and making improvements remain. Phase II of this project offers significant taxpayer value.
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Encouraging an increase in manufacturing would allow Florida to further diversify its economy and produce more high-wage jobs for Floridians. The Florida Legislature can help diversify Florida's economy and create more high-wage jobs by eliminating the sales and use tax on machinery and equipment for manufacturing.
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Repealing an insurance premium tax credit that was designed to encourage insurance company jobs in Florida without fully assessing the impacts would be unwise, according to this Briefing from Florida TaxWatch.
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This Session Spotlight looks at the three pathways being debated in the proposed legislation, and how each track can help students achieve their goals through targeted coursework. The Spotlight also points out that both bills could be strengthened through increased attention to more rigorous English Language Arts assessments and professional training for teachers.
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A centralized agency with sufficient authority to set and implement enterprise-wide information technology is long overdue. Florida TaxWatch commends the Senate and the House for understanding the importance of technology governance and encourages the Legislature to establish a centralized State agency responsible for IT and business processes, with the necessary authority, as recommended by the Florida TaxWatch Government Cost Savings Task Force.
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According to this Briefing, When the Legislature wants to sweep a trust fund, it should be required to introduce a separate general bill for each trust fund sweep. This would allow input from legislators and testimony from concerned parties, and require an up or down vote on each sweep.
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This Economic Commentary looks at the opportunities for increasing Tampa Bays export industry, and the new cooperative work the area is doing with The Brookings Institution as part of a nationwide initiative.
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The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration should continue with its planned July 1, 2013 implementation of a prospective payment plan for Medicaid hospital inpatients based on a Medicaid Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) system, according to this new Report from the TaxWatch Center for Health & Aging.
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Florida's claim bill process is in need of reform. This process—by which persons can petition the legislature for payment of tort claims against government—has received increased attention in recent years due to high profile cases and large awards. This Report makes recommendations on reforming the system.
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This summary of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Health & Aging ARNP Scope of Practice Summit recaps the presentations and panel discussion from the Summit, which brought together state and national policy experts on the topic, and helped to advance reform discussions in the Capitol.
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If the "Sequester" kicks in on March 1, the immediate cuts to the budget authority are $85 billion, and the Congressional Budget Office has indicated that spending will be reduced by $44 billion by the end of September 2013. It is incredibly important that everyone understands how detrimental these cuts will be to U.S.'s fourth largest economy and to its recovery from the Great Recession. This Economic Commentary details some of the effects of these automatic federal spending cuts on Florida.
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