[ad_1]
The Home and Senate are poised to cross their most well-liked spending plans (HB 5001, SB 2500) this week. Whereas the packages are solely separated by $392 million in complete out of greater than $115 billion, the chambers have important variations in how they method well being care packages, jail funding and schooling.
Nonetheless, the $115.9 billion proposed by the Senate and the $115.5 billion handed by the Home — a step down from the $117 billion present funds — present lawmakers acknowledge the COVID-19-era of federal stimulus funds and inflation-juiced gross sales tax revenues is coming to an finish. Nonetheless, the spending plans are nonetheless greater than the $114.4 billion really helpful by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
After the budgets cross off the ground, the following step is formal negotiations between the chambers to finalize the spending plan for the fiscal yr that begins July 1. To finish the Common Session by the scheduled March 8 finish date, they should attain an settlement by March 5 to account for the 72-hour “cooling off” interval earlier than lawmakers can vote on the funds as soon as it’s revealed.
Right here’s a take a look at the foremost variations between the chambers:
EDUCATION
In pre-Okay-12 colleges, the budgets are principally the identical total, with the Home seeking to spend $28.4 billion, whereas the Senate is available in at about $100 million much less. The Home and Senate plans each come out to about $8,937 per pupil, or $218 greater than the present yr.
However every chamber handles the rise in funds otherwise. The Home units apart $1.25 billion to hike trainer pay, a rise of $202 million on the present yr, whereas the Senate places extra funding into the bottom funding for colleges as a method of accelerating trainer salaries.
HEALTH CARE
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, has pushed for a sequence of payments, dubbed the Stay Wholesome Act, which goal to extend the dimensions of the state’s well being care workforce by utilizing incentives and funding extra medical schooling and coaching packages.
That invoice (SB 7016) makes use of $717 million and has already handed off the Senate ground. The Home model is ready to obtain a listening to this week, however the invoice is prone to be the topic of funds talks between the chambers given the big price ticket.
One other flash level might be HB 5301, a funds conforming invoice the Home included as a part of its spending plan. It prevents hospitals that aren’t taking part in Direct Supplier Cost (DPP), a Medicaid funding program, from receiving funds from two different Medicaid supplemental financing packages — the Low Revenue Pool (LIP) and graduate medical schooling (GRE).
The measure seems geared toward hospitals in Pasco and Pinellas counties which have been unable to agree on a self-imposed tax designed to generate native funds wanted to take part in DPP. The Senate doesn’t have the same invoice in its slate of funds payments.
TRANSPORTATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
One other giant sector of the funds with small total variations however vital gaps in key packages is in transportation and financial improvement. The Home plans to spend $14.3 billion on the transportation work program, the primary five-year plan for highway and different transportation infrastructure tasks, whereas the Senate units apart $14 billion.
For VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s tourism advertising company, the Senate would depart it at present yr funding of $80 million, whereas the Home would minimize it to $30 million.
The Job Progress Grant Fund, which permits DeSantis to present funds to native governments for highway and worker coaching tasks tied to job creation, would obtain $75 million — the identical as the present yr funds — beneath the Senate model. The Home units apart simply $25 million for the fund.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Florida’s creaking jail system, which options many amenities with out air con and older buildings, wants between $6.3 billion and $11.9 billion over the following 20 years to replace amenities, in response to a KPMG report launched final yr.
The Senate’s funds units apart $3 billion over the following 10 years, utilizing bonds to perform the aim. However the Home doesn’t have the same plan, so the difficulty might be addressed throughout the formal funds talks.
___
Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
Put up Views: 0
[ad_2]
Source link