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Florida Legislature 2005 (click for ongoing coverage)

THE LATEST Man gets $2M for 22 years he lost Mystery: Who left money faucet on? Many hurricane relief measures get blown away Dramatic proposal, cautious response Legislature doesn't act on minimum wage deal For open-government cause: 'a mixed bag'

Limits on liability lawsuits fly through comittee

A trio of bills pushed by the business community to try to reduce lawsuits were approved easily Wednesday in the Senate Commerce and Consumer Services Committee.

The first (SB 2564) would prevent most people who don't live in Florida from joining class action lawsuits filed here.

The second (SB 2566) would immunize businesses from liability in some cases when a person is injured on their property, either by someone else's criminal behavior or some dangerous object. A plaintiff would have to prove the business knew about the dangerous situation.

The third (SB 2568) would immunize stores from liability for simply selling defective products in many cases..

The bills are sponsored by Sen. Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden.

A House-passed bill (HB 149) that could ground high school twirlers, debaters and future actors if they don't get a minimum 2.0 grade point average might be grounded in the Senate.

Some senators have questioned whether it's a good idea to prevent students from all extracurricular activities if they slip below the 2.0 mark. Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, offered an amendment to satisfy critics, giving students a nine-week grace period to improve their grades without being immediately ineligible for an extracurricular activity.

But he withdrew it Wednesday after Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, pointed out that high school athletes are not allowed to compete without a 2.0, and that the nine-week period might give football coaches an opportunity to use an athlete for an entire season while his grades are below the current requirement.

"There are some kids that these extracurricular activities makes them more interested in staying in school," noted Sen. Ron Klein, D-Delray Beach.

The debate is likely to resume today on the Senate floor, where Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, promised another amendment on behalf of students who struggle.

A bill requiring school districts to observe Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as a holiday headed for a final vote today in the Senate.

If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it would be observed Friday or Monday.

Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, had concerns on behalf of some Panhandle schools who use the holiday for military presentations, but added, "I don't want to take the veterans on on this."

[Last modified April 15, 2005, 19:31:01]