Parental Notice Adviser Costly.....TALLAHASSEE

[Lou_C]

Parental Notice Adviser Costly

By ALLISON NORTH JONES [e-mail]
Published: Jun 7, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida House of Representatives shelled out nearly $70,000 to pay for a Washington-based conservative legal scholar to help craft a doomed parental rights law.
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, billed the House for nearly 200 hours of work at $300 per hour. Turley discounted his usual hourly rate by $200 and cut billable hours each month.

"I was working for a public entity, so I felt it was important to try and reduce my costs,'' Turley said.

He said he also adjusted meal and lodging costs to comply with state allowances, ultimately submitting invoices totaling $67,786 for meals, travel, lodging, expenses and billable hours.

House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, hired Turley in February to help the House take a parental notification law, long sought by Republican leaders, a step further.

The plan was for the Legislature to approve a constitutional amendment narrowly defining a minor's privacy rights and expanding the ``fundamental rights of parents.'' It would have eliminated constitutional barriers Florida justices have cited in tossing out the state's previous parental notification laws regarding abortion.

The measure also would have given parents the right to search a minor child's backpack or school locker in the name of preserving parents' rights to ``raise, educate and care for their children,'' which Byrd said should be protected in the Florida Constitution.

When he hired Turley, Byrd said, ``One of the top priorities of the House, besides lowering taxes and economic growth, has been empowering families.

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBHRSZX5VD.html

Bush country...what would you expect?

[bluestateguy]

1. Jonathan Turley is a self-promoting whiny little bitch

I will never forgive him for his almost daily carping on the cable channels in 1998 about impeaching Bill Clinton.

[Lou_C]

2. It's amazing isn't it

The right wingers bitched about Clinton getting a bj but they don't say a word about the boy wonder screwing up on everything that he touches.

[DaveSZ]

3. Could the US Supreme Court overturn this?

This is why Kerry needs to win.