House Democratic leaders Tuesday asked the U.S. Justice Department to deny Secretary of State Kurt Browning’s request for approval of the state’s new elections law, which the Legislature’s ruling Republicans said is aimed at blunting the threat of voter fraud but which Democrats say is intended to discourage poor and minority voters from going to the polls.

Reps. Ron Saunders of Key West and Perry Thurston of Plantation cited the legislation’s (CS/HB 1355) shortening of the number of days available for early voting, penalties that could be imposed on voter registration groups, and new restrictions on changing voter registration at the polls as grounds for the Justice Department to reject the state’s request for needed preclearance in five counties under the federal Voting Rights Act.

The ACLU of Florida, the national ACLU, and Project Vote, a Washington, D.C., voters’ rights organization, sued earlier this mont in Miami federal court to stop statewide implementation of the law until Justice Department approval is obtained for the five counties.

Browning had said earlier that he would not seek to enforce the state’s new standards in Hendry, Collier, Hardee, Hillsborough and Monroe counties until receiving Justice Department approval.

But he ordered the new law to take effect in Florida’s 62 other counties, a move that triggered the ACLU legal challenge, which cited state and federal laws that require the state to have uniform elections laws.

In their letter to federal officials, Saunders and Thurston wrote, “The law has the purpose or effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race, color, or language minority group.”

Republicans hold super-majorities in the state House and Senate, and Republican Gov. Rick Scott will get to deliver his first State of the State speech on the Legislature’s opening day.

But House Democrats have still found a way to bring a little drama to March 8. They’ve got a contested race for the caucus’ top leadership spot in 2012 — and they’ll choose their champion about an hour before the scheduled start of the legislative session.

The contenders: Reps. Joe Gibbons of Hallandale Beach, and Perry Thurston of Plantation.

It’s an intra-Broward County contest that will be decided by the House’s 39 Democrats. Current Democratic Leader Ron Saunders of Key West called the election Friday. If it counts for anything in handicapping, Gibbons is the current Democratic leader pro tempore.

Technically, the winner is the party’s designee for House speaker. But given that Democrats have a long way to go to gain a majority, “leader” may be the fanciest monicker the eventual winner ever gets.

Senate Republican leaders are moving forward with a vote on a controversial abortion bill that is shutting down business in the House today.

Sen. Andy Gardiner, the sponsor of an amendment that would require every woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound, said the Senate will pass the bill shortly and send it to the House for a vote.

“We are going to vote on this bill. We’re going to send it to them. After that they can do what they want to do,” said Gardiner, R-Orlando.

House Democrats, who make up slightly more than one-third of the chamber, are blocking bills from being voted on because of the 11th-hour measure tacked onto a nursing home bill late yesterday. The Dems say they won’t back down unless GOP House leaders refuse to let the abortion bill be heard.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill and pass it shortly.

House Democrats stopped bills from moving this morning over a controversial measure that would require all women to have ultrasounds before they can get an abortion.

The Democrats will refuse to take a final vote on any bills today unless Republican leaders promise not to take up and hear the bill, House Democrats spokesman Mark Hollis said.

House GOP leaders need the 44 Democrats’ votes to roll over some bills so that they can be voted on. So far, the Dems have already blocked that from happening on one item.

The Senate yesterday attached the provision to a nursing home bill over objections from Republican women and Democrats and is expected to vote on it this morning. Based on the votes on the amendments yesterday, it (HB 1143) will likely pass.

Prior to the Democratic caucus decision, House Speaker Larry Cretul was ambivalent about whether he would take up the bill.

“We’ll see,” Cretul, R-Ocala, said before he knew about the Democrats’ procedural move. “We’ll at least take a hard look at it.”

UPDATE: Rep. Jim Waldman, a House Democratic leader, had this to say on their refusal to give two-thirds approval to take up bills until they get assurances from GOP leaders they won’t consider an abortion bill.

“We’re up here to do the budget,” Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, told reporters during a lull in House business, thanks to his caucus. “That’s the only thing we need to do.”

He said there’s no reason to take up the abortion bill – stuck in at the last minute in the Senate – while there are more important issues to discuss with just two days left until the session is scheduled to end.

“That’s not what we’re here for. They’re not sending us here to deal with ultrasounds and abortion,” Waldman said.

House Rules Committee Chairman Bill Galvano dismissed a Tea Partier’s complaint against Democrat Ron Saunders on Wednesday.

James K. Barnes of Coral Springs alleged that Saunders, a veteran lawmaker from Key West, charged the state for travel money for trips to Tallahassee from his home in the Florida Keys while also filing for reimbursement for official and campaign work while in his Keys district.

Galvano ruled that the complaint had “numerous deficiencies” and found no evidence that Saunders broke a variety of House rules as Barnes alleged.

Saunders did not break House rules two years ago by soliciting campaign contributions during the legislative session, Galvano, R-Bradenton, decided. Saunders deposited several campaign checks on the first day of the 2008 session but that is permitted, Galvano wrote in a letter to Barnes.

Barnes also filed similar complaints with the state elections commission and ethics commission.

Although the Tea Partier filed the complaints against Saunders, Republicans have targeted Saunders, slated to become House Democratic Leader later this year, in his reelection bid in November.

House Speaker Larry Cretul offered a compromise of sorts with black lawmakers after refusing to delay the special session to accommodate a scheduling conflict.

The black members are hosting the National Black Caucus of State Legislators’ annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale, an event that began today. Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, is chairing the gala which was two years in the planning.
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House Democrats asked Cretul repeatedly to postpone the session, which begins Thursday and lasts through next Friday, until the conference ends this weekend.

He turned them down saying that he had promised Senate President Jeff Atwater the House would send a bill over to the Senate by Monday afternoon.

Now, Cretul is having a briefing session for the black lawmakers – all but one of whom are Democrats – next week and will allow them to offer amendments to the bill on second and third reading.

“They weren’t backing down. We weren’t backing down. So this avoided a confrontation,” said Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, who is attending the conference.
But, he added: “We’re not happy with it.”

He said it was disrespectful of GOP legislative leaders to schedule the special session during the time when they knew the conference was taking place.

Cretul and Atwater have offered excused absences for black lawmakers who are at the event.

“We would be totally embarrassed, nationally, by not being here. We have people from the White House here, from Congress here, from all over the nation,” Gibbons said. “It would be like we invite them to dinner at our house and then we’re not going to be home.”