News
Rader wins Democratic Primary
PALM BEACH POST: Republican Benacquisto, Democrat Rader face November showdown in state Senate District 27
By JASON SCHULTZ Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Former Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto beat out former state Rep. Sharon Merchant in the Republican primary for state Senate District 27, according to unofficial state election results. In the Democratic primary for the same cross-state district, state Rep. Kevin Rader of Delray Beach came back to defeat Fort Myers attorney Pete Burkert after trailing him for much of the night. The district stretches from Palm...
Florida Unemployment Extension Fix Fails
Rep. Rader Appeals to Gov. Crist
The U.S. Senate made strides Tuesday to approve an extension of unemployment benefits that will give out-of-work Americans till November to enroll in the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, and fully fund Extended Benefits programs (.pdf) in states — like Florida — suffering from high unemployment. But a line in Florida law currently prohibits the Sunshine State from receiving and disbursing the additional E.B. funding promised in the...
Fighting For Democratic Values
Vote For Rep. Kevin Rader In Florida Senate 27 Democratic Primary
Dear Citizens of Florida, As a member of the state Legislature, it has been my privilege to: - Fight for the dignity and survival of our neighbors injured in the recession by extending unemployment benefits - Oppose efforts to gut quality teachers from our public school system - Stand up to those who would impede a woman’s right to medical care - Give state prosecutors additional tools...
POST ON POLITICS: Special Session for Unemployment Benefits?
Kevin Rader's Amendment would have prevented costly summer session
Lawmakers have agreed to extend unemployment benefits for Floridians by 14 weeks but those benefits will run out on June 1 unless they take action before the end of the day tomorrow. House GOP lawmakers signed off on approximately $128 million in extra unemployment benefits for about 100,000 out-of-work Floridians until June 1. Delray Beach Democrat Kevin Rader tried but failed to amend the bill, now on its way to Gov. Charlie Crist, to allow an automatic extension of the benefits if...
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL: Florida House could vote today on extended benefits for the unemployed
Kevin Rader's bill would extend emergency unemployment benefits until year's end
Florida's House could vote on extended benefits as early as today. Rep. Kevin Rader, D- Palm Beach County, is sponsoring amendments to Senate Bill 1736, one of which would extend the deadline for extended benefits to whatever Congress decides. There's a bill in Congress that would extend emergency benefits through year-end. As is, the Senate bill passed on Monday, would give up to 20 weeks of extended benefits, for any Florida resident who exhausts all regular and federal...
ORLANDO SENTINEL: Florida's Stand Against a Nuclear Iran
Kevin Rader's Bill pushes firms to cut ties with Iran
Florida is about to deal a powerful economic blow against one of the world's most dangerous countries. The state Senate Committee on Military Affairs and Domestic Security recently approved -- by unanimous vote -- a measure that would prohibit Florida's government from creating or renewing contracts with companies that do business in Iran. Spearheaded by Sen. Ted Deutch (D-Boca Raton) and Rep. Kevin Rader (D-Delray Beach), this bill could push many firms to cut ties with...
SUN-SENTINEL: Local legislator says Republican education bill should be killed
Kevin Rader voices opposition to anti-teacher bill, urges Republicans to vote "No"
State Rep. Kevin Rader, a Palm Beach County Democrat, issued this statement Wednesday about the Republican education legislation pending in Tallahassee. “This bill shackles our teachers with further high-stakes testing. It removes incentives for teachers to get advanced degrees and certifications. This bill links our teachers’ pay to criteria that haven’t even been developed yet,” Rader said in a statement to supporters. “In these past weeks, we have...
SUN-SENTINEL: Proposal would eliminate property taxes in Acreage cancer cluster
State Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Boynton Beach, is introducing legislation Thursday to eliminate the property taxes for homeowners whose property has been declared a cancer cluster. This is aimed at the Acreage in Palm Beach County. Rader plans to introduce an amendment to achieve that goal Finance and Tax Council. The Florida Department of Health designated the Acreage as a pediatric cancer cluster on February 1 of this year. From Rader's office: “In February, I promised the residents of...
POST ON POLITICS: 'Corruption County' crackdown cruises through House Committee
Kevin Rader's Bill Passes Committee Unanimously
A “Corruption County”-inspired bill that would beef up penalties for county officials who violate ethics ordinancesmoved forward in a House committee this afternoon. The changes that would allow counties to go beyond current state law in fines and jail time for county officials and staff who violate local ethics ordinances or financial disclosure requirements. Under the measure, counties like Palm Beach could double the current fine from $500 to $1,000 and extend...
POST ON POLITICS: 'Corruption County' Bill strengthens penalties for ethics violations
Kevin Rader's bill would double fines, increase jail time for corrupt public officials
With Palm Beach “Corruption” County in mind, lawmakers are moving toward stiffening local ordinances combating ethics violations. Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, is backing a bill that allow counties to increase the current penalties for violations of county ordinances imposing ethical standards and financial disclosure requirements from 60 days in jail to one year in jail and double the fine from $500 to $1,000 per occurance. The Senate Community Affairs Committee...
PALM BEACH POST: State officials agree to test soil, water at homes of Acreage kids with cancer
By MITRA MALEK, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
State officials will test the water and soil at brain-cancer-stricken children's homes in The Acreage, Florida Department of Health's chief of staff said Friday — an appeal those children's families have been making for months. The decision comes a day after Gov. Charlie Crist pledged to seek federal help to investigate whether something in particular has caused higher-than-normal rates of pediatric brain tumors and cancer, particularly for girls, in The Acreage. It...
PALM BEACH POST: Campaign contributions coming in, as local and statewide races take shape
By George Bennett, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Whether they're running for governor or a county commission seat, most candidates had a similar campaign finance strategy in 2009: pile up as much money as possible while minimizing expenditures to save cash for election season. Then there's Bill Hager. The former Boca Raton councilman, a Republican seeking the state House seat of term-limited Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton, raised $53,092 from contributors and chipped in $14,500 of his own money in...
SUN SENTINEL: Kevin Rader to run for Aronberg's Senate Seat
Rookie state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-West Palm Beach, said today he is running for the state Senate seat occupied by Sen. Dave Aronberg, who is running for attorney general. First elected in 2008, Rader will surely have lots of competition for a swing district that takes both liberal Palm Beach County and conservative southwest Florida. Republicans tried to take the seat back last November, but couldn't mount an effective challenge to the well-funded Aronberg, who has occupied that...
SUN SENTINEL: Meet Kevin Rader
“My goals as a State Representative cover several areas,” says freshman State Representative Kevin Rader, District 78: “I want to help with insurance issues. We have to replenish the CAT fund. We should bring more insurance companies back into the Florida market. More competition will mean lower rates for consumers on their property insurance. I am also interested in Public Education and Health Care issues. Looking at the broader picture, the State budget is $66 billion. We...
