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Special Session

All articles tagged with #special session

DeSantis Moves Florida Toward Phased Homestead Tax Elimination in Special Session
politics3 days ago

DeSantis Moves Florida Toward Phased Homestead Tax Elimination in Special Session

Gov. Ron DeSantis announces a June Special Session to push a phased plan that could eventually end Florida’s homestead property tax. The plan starts with raising the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, then a timetable to fully eliminate the tax contingent on voter approval and a 3/5 legislative vote. It shields local governments with protections and a trust fund to cover core services, avoids new offset taxes during the transition, and imposes a five-year homestead tax requirement on newcomers to curb benefits for movers. An implementing session post-election will finalize mechanics, with broad public support indicated in polls.

Alabama, Tennessee push special sessions to redraw congressional maps after Supreme Court ruling
politics28 days ago

Alabama, Tennessee push special sessions to redraw congressional maps after Supreme Court ruling

In the wake of a Supreme Court ruling on race and redistricting, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee urged their legislatures to convene special sessions to consider new congressional maps. Alabama primaries may shift based on a court-ordered map or a new map that could add a Republican seat, while Tennessee seeks rapid changes to its Memphis-based Democratic district to align with timelines. The broader context includes Louisiana’s map being ruled unconstitutional and broader redistricting battles, with South Carolina and Georgia reacting differently to the ruling.

GOP Governors Push Special Sessions to Redraw Maps After Voting Rights Ruling
politics28 days ago

GOP Governors Push Special Sessions to Redraw Maps After Voting Rights Ruling

GOP governors in Alabama and Tennessee announced special sessions to revisit congressional maps in response to a Supreme Court ruling that tightens Voting Rights Act protections, aiming to align districts for the midterms; Alabama’s plan could revert to older maps if court rulings lift injunctions, while Tennessee is seeking maps favorable to Republicans—also prompting considerations in Mississippi and South Carolina ahead of primaries and elections.

Florida GOP stalls DeSantis’ AI-regulation push during special session
politics1 month ago

Florida GOP stalls DeSantis’ AI-regulation push during special session

Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez blocked Gov. DeSantis’ attempt to regulate AI in a special session, leaving the bill unfiled and the Senate’s bipartisan AI measure unconsidered. The move keeps DeSantis’ national AI skepticism in the spotlight while he argues for federal action, highlighting a split within his party and broad concerns about AI expansion and its impact on children and jobs.

politics1 month ago

Florida redistricting session in flux as DeSantis withholds map and Virginia vote looms

Florida’s planned mid-decade redistricting session is in flux: Gov. Ron DeSantis has not committed to providing lawmakers a proposed map, and the Legislature has delayed its own proposals, raising questions about timing for a congressional redraw as the session (originally set for April 20–24) looms amid a Virginia referendum that could add pressure and potential litigation over partisan gerrymandering.

state-politics2 months ago

Florida's 2026 Capitol Chaos: Budget Gridlock and GOP Fallout

With seven days left in Florida's 60-day 2026 session, a budget stalemate between the House and Senate and simmering tensions with Gov. Ron DeSantis threaten to derail top priorities (including AI regulation) as lawmakers prepare for redistricting and a looming property-tax special session; even as some bills pass, the session is expected to end without major agreements, highlighting ongoing divisions and affordability concerns for residents.

state-politics4 months ago

DeSantis’ Florida finale teeters on a turbulent legislative sprint

With Gov. Ron DeSantis’ eight-year tenure ending, Florida’s closing legislative session looks likely to be messy as House–Senate clashes complicate an ambitious agenda: pushing a multibillion-dollar property-tax overhaul onto the November ballot, pursuing mid-decade redistricting in a special session, and advancing AI guardrails along with vaccine-mandate rollbacks—all of which could shape his legacy and his near-certain 2024 presidential bid amid a shifting GOP power dynamic.