| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Good Wednesday morning. All Things Must Pass — And now for something completely different. Here Comes the Sun — A quest by Sen. Marco Rubio to end the nation's clock-changing habits appears to be gaining momentum. For several years, Rubio has pushed to make daylight saving time permanent — a move that has also been endorsed by the Florida Legislature — without success. I Want To Tell You — On Tuesday, however, Rubio used a procedural move to get his bill — dubbed the "Sunshine Protection Act" — approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate without debate. The measure now moves to the House, where just last week a panel in that chamber held a hearing raising questions about the need for springing forward and falling back each year. Got My Mind Set On You — "I know this is not the most important issue confronting America but it's one of those issues where there is a lot of agreement," Rubio said on the Senate floor. He laid out reasons he said merited making daylight saving time permanent, including the effects on health, exercise and crime. In order to give time for the switch, the measure would not take effect until November 2023. Think For Yourself — Rubio's push to end the "stupidity" of clock changing, as he called it, has a lot of support from other members of Congress from Florida. Back in 2018, then-Gov. Rick Scott signed a law (also called the Sunshine Protection Act) that called for an end to the twice-a-year practice of changing clocks — but the change is entirely dependent on Congress taking action. (Interestingly, one of the few no votes against the bill in the Legislature was Jared Moskowitz, the former state emergency management director now running for the U.S. House.) The Inner Light — Florida politicians called on the House to immediately take up the new bill, but it's not clear if that will happen. POLITICO's Congress team reported that the matter briefly came up in a Tuesday meeting of House Democratic leaders. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told them that the idea has gained momentum over the years but still hasn't happened. "How are people going to feel at 7 o'clock in the morning in December, when they put their kids out on the street to catch the school bus, and it's dead, flat dark?" Hoyer said. "In any event, I don't have strong feelings either way," But suffice to say, Rubio's move got a tremendous amount of media attention, in part because every time news organizations do stories on the effort they generate a lot of internet traffic. Maybe it's because there are a lot of Americans who agree with the senator. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch:gfineout@politico.com
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DIVIDED — "Poll: Americans split over Florida's controversial bills on gender identity and race ," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: American voters are sharply divided over two contentious bills Florida's state Legislature recently passed that deal with the teaching of race and gender identity, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll of registered voters. The poll asked respondents about Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by opponents. The measure prohibits teachers from leading classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and seeks to ban such lessons for other grades unless they are "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate."
By the numbers — A slim majority of U.S. voters who were polled — 51 percent — support "banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade" while 35 percent are opposed, according to the poll results. The poll also found that 52 percent support limiting lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity after third grade to "age appropriate" discussions. Partisan break — In both instances, support was considerably higher among Republican registered voters, but there was also backing from independent voters. Seventy percent of GOP voters, for example, supported banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in lower grades compared to 51 percent of Democrats who opposed the legislation. The poll found that 46 percent of independent voters supported the ban compared to 35 percent who opposed it. FALLOUT — " Disney LGBTQ employees plan walkout over Florida bill," by The Los Angeles Times' Ryan Faughnder: "The protest organizers put up a website that includes a list of 'demands' for the company to take 'to regain the trust of the LGBTQIA+ community and employees.' Those demands include permanently ceasing donations to politicians 'involved in the creation or passage' of the Florida bill. The website also calls on Disney to allocate spending for content representing LGBTQ people and create a label dedicated to such programming. The organizers, who asked not to be identified out of fear of reprisals, have scheduled a series of 15-minute walkouts during employee breaks starting Tuesday, to culminate in a larger protest planned for March 22." — "Ron DeSantis vs. Disney is the strongest signal yet he plans to run in 2024 – regardless of what Trump does," by The National Review's Philip Klein PUMP ACTION — " Gas prices spike pressures governors to lower taxes," by POLITICO's Marie J. French and Colby Bermel: Now, blue and red states alike are embracing a solution that makes for great headlines: cutting gas taxes. As federal action languishes on the issue, some states are quickly moving to suspend their own fuel taxes to counter price shocks at the pump. Governors and state lawmakers, in the midst of an election year, say it's necessary relief for drivers. Ga. vs. Fla. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, another Republican, has also reached a deal to suspend the state's 29-cent excise tax on gas until the end of May. He expects to sign the bill in the coming days. Florida lawmakers passed a one-month suspension of the state's gas tax, scheduled for October, as part of a massive state spending plan approved Monday. Notably, the $200 million break will occur right before the general election. But Republican leaders said the timing was intended to ensure benefits flow primarily to residents because October is one of the lowest months for tourism. | | DATELINE D.C. | | SHINE ON — "Here comes the sun: Senate agrees on permanent daylight saving time, " by POLITICO's Anthony Adragna, Burgess Everett and Sarah Ferris: A bipartisan group of senators has tried and failed, for Congress after Congress, to keep America on daylight saving time permanently. Until Tuesday, when their bright idea finally cleared the chamber. Just two days after the nation's latest stressful "spring forward" to the later sunsets of daylight saving time, the Senate unanimously and surprisingly passed Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) bill to lock the clocks. The quick and consequential move happened so fast that several senators said afterward they were unaware of what had just happened. | 
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chariman Marco Rubio (R-FL) listens during a hearing on June 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. The committee is examining the implementation of the CARES Act, which has handed out billions of dollars of government-backed forgivable loans to small-business owners if they keep employees on their payroll. (Photo by Al-Drago-Pool/Getty Images) | Al Drago/Getty Images |
NOT A SURPRISE — "Rubio says meeting with Jackson 'did nothing to ease my concerns' about Biden's nominee," by Miami Herald's Bryan Lowry: "Sen. Marco Rubio signaled Tuesday that he will likely vote against fellow Miamian Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation to the Supreme Court after a meeting with the federal judge failed to assuage his concerns about President Joe Biden's nominee. 'As I said when Judge Jackson was nominated, I cannot support any nominee that believes it is appropriate for judges to craft new policies and create rights instead of interpreting and defending the Constitution as written,' the Florida Republican said in a statement following a meeting with Jackson. 'Judge Jackson's story is inspiring and I appreciated the opportunity to meet with her. Unfortunately, our conversation today did nothing to ease my concerns that we have starkly different understandings of the Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court,' Rubio said.
'RECKLESS' — "'Betrayal': Miami Republican representatives lambaste Biden talks with Maduro over oil," by El Nuevo Herald's Nora Gámez Torres: "The Biden administration's recent outreach to Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro to discuss oil purchases is 'idiotic' and a 'betrayal' of the Venezuelan people, Republican members of Congress from Miami said Tuesday as they slammed the administration's policies on foreign affairs and energy. 'It's hard to believe that anybody could be so reckless, so irresponsible, and frankly, so idiotic,' U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart said during a media event at Miami International Airport." TRANSITIONS — Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who is not running for reelection, on Tuesday announced several personnel moves in her office: John Laufer, who has served as Murphy's deputy chief of staff and legislative Director, will become chief of staff; Lale Morrison, long-time COS to the late U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings will serve as senior advisor for communications and policy; Rachel Kline will become legislator director; Zoë Prince will become legislative assistant; Eduardo Carrizosa will serve as press secretary and digital director; Emma Trittin will serve as director of operations and Justin Karlins will serve as staff assistant.
| | RUSSIA-UKRAINE | | 'LASER FOCUSED' — "NASA chief tackles space station jitters amid Russian trolling," by NBC News' Marc Caputo: "The head of NASA pledged this week to continue joint space exploration with other countries even as his Twitter-trolling Russian counterpart suggested Moscow could crash the International Space Station into Earth or leave a U.S. astronaut behind. 'We have been meeting almost daily for three weeks to ensure the safe operations of the ISS,' NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Monday in a video town hall with the agency's 60,000-member workforce, according to text of his remarks obtained by NBC News. 'I want to ensure you that we are laser focused on our people,' Nelson said, noting that he 'remains committed' to all seven astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station and that NASA is 'continuing to work with all our international partners to continue safe operation of the ISS.'"
| | | | DON'T MISS POLITICO'S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | REVAMP — "DeSantis signs bill to revamp K-12 testing," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Tuesday to introduce a new system for testing the state's K-12 students that scraps the Florida Standards Assessments program for a new computer-based progress monitoring system to periodically measure student performance. The bill, FL SB 1048, is aimed at giving parents and teachers faster feedback on student performance while scaling back the class time students are tested in schools — both DeSantis priorities. "We come not to praise the FSA, but to bury it," DeSantis said Tuesday at a high school in St. Petersburg. BUDGET GAMES — "Fried says her budget is entangled in 'partisan politics' — as Simpson runs for ag commissioner," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday said some of her department's successes in the 2022-23 state budget result from "partisan politics" that favor her successor. Fried, who is running for governor, held a press conference to discuss the 2022 legislative session, which ended Monday. She noted two budget items that delay spending until she leaves office but did not mention by name Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican who is running for agriculture commissioner. Curious timing — She said her department's budget successes included $300 million for an expanded land conservation program and $18 million for an agricultural promotion campaign. But budget language prevents the $300 million and $15 million of the promotional campaign from being spent until January. "So much of my budget has been tied to partisan politics," Fried told reporters when asked if her budget successes are a result of Simpson's ambitions to hold her office. "And it is unfortunate because obviously these are all priorities of our department," she said. "To wait and prolong the investment into our state until after the election is just bad politics, bad governing." | 
AP Photo |
TUCKED INSIDE — "UF gets $3M for political think tank in Florida's 2022-23 budget," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: State lawmakers agreed to spend $3 million to launch a political think tank at the University of Florida in the 2022-23 budget, a move that adds a new program to the state's flagship school. Called the "Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education," the initiative is created to "support teaching and research concerning the ideas, traditions, and texts that form the foundations of western and American civilization." The center was established in a 181-page education conforming bill accompanying the state budget, the same legislation that included new rules for enforcing Florida's new restrictions on teaching race in universities.
— "Florida lawmakers OK payments to parents of children who died of brain injuries," by Miami Herald's Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang — " 5 Florida health care bills that died, including a DeSantis priority," by Tampa Bay Times' Kirby Wilson — " Florida's redistricting process headed for a 'train wreck,' as veto, lawsuits loom," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | RETURN ENGAGEMENT — "Former U.S. House member Dennis Ross seeks return, plans to run in new district," by The Ledger's Gary White: "Lakeland resident Dennis Ross, who spent four terms in Congress, wants to return to Washington, D.C. Ross announced Tuesday that he plans to run this year as a Republican in U.S. House District 15. The Florida Legislature has approved new district boundaries as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process, and the newly drawn District 15 will cover northeast Hillsborough County. Shifting lines — "Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, currently serves in District 15, which now covers northern Polk County and parts of Hillsborough and Lake counties. Florida gains a U.S. House seat because of population growth, and the Legislature's map creates a new district that covers all of Polk County. Franklin is expected to run in that district. Ross said that he intends to run in the new District 15 and will not challenge an incumbent." — " Chris Chambers becomes fourth Republican to challenge Kathy Castor for CD14 seat," by Florida Politics' Kelly Hayes
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | COME FLY WITH ME — "Trump denies his private 757 jet 'mothballed,' says it will be back in service in 90 days," by Palm Beach Post's Antonio Fins: "So, just what is the status of the Boeing 757 dubbed 'Trump Force One'? Former President Donald Trump on Saturday said that reports that his private 757 aircraft was 'mothballed' at a New York state airfield were 'fake news.' Trump said the plane was undergoing 'a major scheduled maintenance program, which will be completed in approximately 90 days.' But photos of the decayed Boeing 757, which sports a red, white and blue design with Trump emblazoned atop the fuselage, had been circulating online since the former commander-in-chief left the White House in January 2021." STAYING PUT — "Miami judge orders Proud Boys' leader Tarrio to remain behind bars as he faces Jan. 6 charges," by Miami Herald's Jay Weaver: "Enrique Tarrio, the high-profile leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, appeared subdued in Miami federal court Tuesday as a magistrate judge ordered that he remain behind bars before his trial on charges of plotting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol building to stop Congress' certification of the presidential election. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis said evidence 'that he's a danger to the community is unrebutted,' rejecting a request by Tarrio's defense attorney to release him on a $1.25 million bond secured by his family members in Miami." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | SHOWDOWN — "DeSantis vs. Miami's Archbishop, with Cuban-Americans in the middle," by The New York Times' Patricia Mazzei: "The state was threatening the Roman Catholic Church's ability to shelter immigrant children when Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami went for South Florida's emotional jugular: He compared the unaccompanied children who were crossing the border today to those who fled Communist Cuba six decades ago without their parents." Backlash — "Offended by the comparison, angry Cuban Americans called Spanish-language radio. They wrote letters to the editor. A discussion at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora to denounce the archbishop's comments turned emotional. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who had directed his administration to stop renewing shelter licenses, called the comparison to Cuban exiles who had arrived legally 'disgusting.'" FOR YOUR RADAR — " Haitians aiming for Florida Keys outpace 2021 migration," by The Associated Press' Danica Coto and Frieda Frisaro: "Haitian migrants are reaching Florida's shores in large numbers as human smuggling operations ramp up, outpacing last year's migration waves. The rise in the desperate and sometimes deadly voyages on overloaded vessels comes amid deepening political instability, skyrocketing inflation, severe fuel shortages and a spike in gang-related violence and kidnappings in Haiti." — "Saget's fractures possibly caused by fall on carpeted floor," by The Associated Press' Mike Schneider — " Nassau's county attorney resigns after State Attorney's Office findings that he 'committed criminal acts,' by Florida Times-Union's Dan Scanlan | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Secret Service study of yoga class shooting shows misogyny," by The Associated Press' Colleen Long: "A man who signed up for a yoga class in Tallahassee, Florida, and opened fire there in 2018 had a well-documented history of disturbing behavior — warning signs that were missed. The shooting that left two women dead and wounded six others spotlights the growing concern posed by extremists with hatred toward women, according to a case study the U.S. Secret Service released Tuesday. The deep look at the killings, conducted by the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center, was an effort to study how contempt for women can radicalize men and spark violent and deadly behavior." BIRTHDAYS: Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran … State Rep. Chip LaMarca
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