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Scott's draft legislative priorities could include olive branch to police ...

The proposals are divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 categories and a section on "budget priorities." Among the Tier 1 ideas are PIP reform, energy, multi-state health insurance, higher education reform, immigration, court reform and linking classroom spending to school performance.

The second tier includes a gift to one politically potent group the governor and Republican-led legislature angered quite a bit last year: police and firefighters. The governor wants to reverse the law that made most "special risk" employees retire at age 60, instead of 55. 

Matt Puckett of the Police Benevolent Assocation said he was encouraged by the governor's change of heart, given the fact that special risk retirees die sooner than other government workers. "It's good he is recognizing the issue,'' Puckett said. "We'll see how much he pushes for it." The PBA has sued the governor over its attempts to privatize South Florida prisons and, Puckett concluded of Scott: "He seems to not like us."

Scott spokeswoman , Amy Graham, emphasized the list is a draft. "Look for a more refined version of this list,'' she said. "The priorities will be jobs, lowering the cost of living and building on the progress of last session."

Here are some of the most interesting elements of the draft:

* ENERGY -- Scott sees a "leadership" gap on energy issues and "is likely" to pursue a new renewables bill this session that will also focus on demand side management -- that's bureaucratese for energy efficiency. The big question is what direction will the governor go? With the utilities -- who argue Florida's requirements are too expensive at a time when states like North Carolina and Texas have more aggressive programs that are less expensive? Or with consumers -- who argue that more emphasis on energy efficiency postpones the need for utilities?

This is as cheap as insurance gets

The 1997 Ford Taurus was never an exciting vehicle, and now it is an old and tired one. Worth perhaps $2,500 but still ubiquitous (Polk says there are 242,390 still on the road), it is the choice of someone who has no choice.

Yet even this vehicle -- or any similar no-frills ride-- represents a huge expense for the 4 million or so Americans working a minimum-wage job.

Minimum-wage workers tend to be young. Half of them are under 25, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. We priced basic state-minimum auto insurance quotes from coast to coast on that proverbial Taurus, driven by a 24-year-old male with no tickets and good credit.

In Springfield, Ill., he would have to work 55 hours at that state’s $8 minimum wage to pay a year’s worth of the state’s minimum liability coverage on his beater car. In Austin, Texas, 87 hours.

And in Albany, N.Y., Trenton, N.J., or Hartford, Conn., he would have to work more than a month of minimum-wage hours to buy the lowest amount of car insurance required.

[Let CarInsurance.com help you find affordable auto insurance now.]

CarInsurance.com looked at bare-minimum policies for a young driver in each state’s capital. Unless you’re 24, male, a resident of the particular addresses we used and proud owner of a 1997 Taurus, your quotes probably won’t match ours, which are only a snapshot of the rates available through our quote-comparison engine .

They are, however, a good indicator of the financial hurdle confronting any young driver who depends on his own car to commute to school or work.

What a 24-year-old pays for state-minimum liability + New Hampshire drivers must show proof of financial responsibility in the event of an accident

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, though many states set their own higher and a few go as low as $5.15.

Keeping even an old beater on the road anywhere will consume a large amount of that bare-bones income. Gasoline is a big expense, but ultimately a controllable one: You can walk, take the bus, combine your trips, or carpool.

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