A proposed constitutional amendment that would make it clear that state money can go to religious institutions was approved Friday by the Senate, putting the measure on the ballot next year.

The state constitution has a so-called “Blaine Amendment,” which prohibits tax dollars from directly or indirectly going to sectarian purposes. It’s been used to challenge faith-based programs that get government grants.

Backers say if government grant money could clearly go to sectarian institutions, it wouldn’t be used directly for religious purposes. But the provision, if approved by voters, could make it clear that state money can go to private religious schools, such as in a voucher, though the state’s main voucher program was found unconstitutional on other grounds.

Still, some vouchers, such as those used by disabled children, remain authorized, though backers of the bill have said they fear those scholarships could be threatened by the constitutional “Blaine Amendment.”

Removing the provision, however, would also make it clear that Medicaid money going to church-affiliated health care providers is OK, halfway houses that are run by ministries or other organizations are legal, or that churchs could get state money for an after-school sports league.

Opponents had worried that because the state can’t discriminate against religions, it also would make for the possibility of taxpayer dollars going for some possibly unpopular religious organizations.

Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Clearwater, noted that if it passes, state money could go to the Church of Scientology. Others have noted that it could go to the Koran-burning church in Gainesville, or it might allow for a voucher to be used by a student to attend a conservative Islamic religious school, meaning taxpayers would be paying for Islamic fundamentalist education.

“We may be very sorry we have voted for this amendment,” Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach said Friday. “This has great dangerous potential for all of us…be very careful about your vote.” The bill’s sponsors have said any religious discrimination is bad, no matter the religion.

The bill passed the Senate 26-10.

– News Service of Florida

I swear I’m not picking on state Sen Joe Negron. The second blog post (after this one earlier) about him today is just a coincidence…

The Sun-Sentinel reported this week that the Stuart Republican criticized President Obama’s health care bill because it would let “middle class” people enroll in Medicaid, a health care program designed for the poor. (Negron opposes the health care bill: He encouraged Attorney General Bill McCollum to sue over it and offered a budget amendment this week to counter some parts of it.)

The federal health care reform does expand Medicaid eligibility to 133 percent of the poverty line, which is about $29,326 for a family of four.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, however, Negron told the Senate Finance & Tax Committee that his own plan to expand the state voucher program is aimed at “the poorest of the poor.”

How does Negron define “poorest of the poor”? Well, Negron’s bill (SB 2126) would let families at 230 percent of the federal poverty level — or $50,517 for a family of four — keep half of their voucher to attend private schools.

Republican lawmakers in the Florida Senate took turns firing shots at the state’s largest teachers union today during a committee hearing over whether the GOP-majority wants to approve a massive expansion of the school voucher program. (They do.)

Finance & Tax Chairman Thad Altman said expanding vouchers would help reduce class sizes, a priority of the Florida Education Association, which opposes vouchers. Sen. Rhonda Storms, R-Valrico, asked FEA lobbyist Lynda Russell to read a Harvard study often cited by voucher advocates “for your education and intellectual expansion.”

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Sarasota, challenged the union’s assertion that parents top priorities were small class sizes, safe schools and less emphasis on the FCAT.

“They don’t want better teachers for their kids?” Bennett said.

The bill’s lone opponent on the committee, Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, tried to reign it all in. “Everyone has had their shot at the teachers union,” he said. “Can we get back to the bill?”

But Storms said that FEA President Andy Ford “can take care of himself.” She used her laptop to pull up a copy a recent speech from Ford, who said the union saved millions for public schools during the 2009 session and “once again fought back the barbarians at the gate.”

“That’s us … We’re the barbarians,” an upset Storms said.

LAKE BUENA VISTA — Democratic attorney general candidates Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber traded a few elbows over school vouchers and campaign finance this morning but spent most of their time bashing Republicans during a debate before about 1,000 Democratic activists.

The first debate between the primary rivals saw Miami Beach state Sen. Gelber repeatedly stressing his eight-year record as a federal prosecutor while Greenacres Sen. Aronberg, 38, frequently invoked popular former Democratic Attorney General Bob Butterworth, for whom Aronberg worked in two stints between 1999 and 2002.

The debate’s most heated exchange came when Gelber accused Aronberg of supporting private school vouchers.

(more…)