Hillsborough/Pasco Republican state Senator Jim Norman is breathing a bit easier these days.
A federal investigation of his dealings with the late GOP power broker Ralph Hughes has concluded without any charges coming his way, and a preliminary drawing of his legislative district makes it more advantageous for his re-election bid in 2012.
So, now it's on to the business of the people in state Senate District 12, which for Norman means re-filing his bill from the last legislative session aimed at preventing animal rights groups from documenting the mistreatment of food-farm animals.
Don Anthony is with the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. He says the bill is bad for the animals, bad for consumers, and bad for the people who work in such farms.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.