The Florida Legislature passed a sweeping education bill – and Gov. Rick Scott signed into law today – that allows high school students to enroll in any public school regardless of where the family resides. In his veto, Scott focused on part of the bill that dealt with child time-sharing arrangements in divorces. “This bill has the potential to up-end that policy in favor of putting the wants of a parent before the child’s best interest by creating a premise of equal time-sharing”. Among other things, the legislation would have created a legal premise for child custody plans that said children should spend equal time with each parent.
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Early Childhood Development – This bill revises health and safety requirements for school readiness program providers. “Our judges must consider each family’s unique situation and abilities and put the best interests of the child above all else”. About 80 percent of those messages were from supporters.
This is the second time Governor Scott vetoed the proposal. Mark Daniels, Novolex Senior Vice President of Sustainability, said, “While we considered several sites throughout the United States for this expansion, it was clear that Jacksonville was the most business-friendly location for the Novolex team to continue growing”. Family Law Reform founder Alan Frisher, who has spent almost a decade pushing the issue, said in a telephone interview Friday. It is a “me” bill for parents.
Education Access and Affordability – This bill promotes college affordability by providing tuition and fee transparency, textbook cost predictability, oversight of graduate school tuition, and accountability of Florida’s higher education system. The measure would have allowed the courts to reduce alimony payments if there was a “substantial change in circumstance”.
The alimony measure has been mired in controversy since Scott’s first veto three years ago. He also vetoed a bill that would have handed out financial incentives to dentists who agree to treat patients in underserved and rural areas.
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“This legislation shows we understand that our most important commitment is to the families of Florida”, Ray added.
