The House Civil Justice Subcommittee focused on mortgage foreclosures on Tuesday, September 20.
Presentations from the Florida Department of Economic and Demographic Research and the Florida State Courts Administrator indicate that Florida continues to rate high nationally in terms of foreclosure filings and the court's response has cleared 43 percent of the foreclosure backlog.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee voted to move forward with a proposed committee bill to define insignificant fiscal impact for the purposes of the unfunded mandate provision of the Florida Constitution. The proposed committee bill is based on the recommendation of an interim report.
The Environmental and Preservation Committee in the Senate met Wednesday, September 21 to discuss two very important issues pertaining to our members. The first issue was a presentation by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the status of the numeric nutrient criteria lawsuit currently pending against the EPA. Secondly, a representative from DEP also presented on the topic of reclaimed water, which looks to be a trending issue for the 2012 legislative session.
The Senate Committee of General Government is hearing about a one-stop internet portal that would allow businesses to register with multiple state agencies and local government permitting and business regulation offices. This may help businesses get started quicker and create more jobs.