Tallahassee, FL - When lawmakers meet each year, they consider hundreds of bills. But they only have one must-do: pass a state budget.
The outlines of a 2019-2020 budget will start to take shape during the coming week as House and Senate appropriations subcommittees discuss initial spending plans for areas such as education, health care and the environment.
The full House and Senate later will approve budget proposals before beginning negotiations on a final spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a record $91.3 billion budget, but his plan will be revamped before lawmakers ultimately sign off.
House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, has made clear he wants a tighter budget than the DeSantis proposal, a stance that Senate President Bill Galvano acknowledged this week.
"I think that (Oliva’s view on the budget) is consistent with the way the speaker has approached the budget process,” Galvano, R-Bradenton, said. “As long as I’ve known him, he is a fiscal conservative and that’s important. We have to be fiscally responsible, but at the same time we’re looking at all the factors, including what unanticipated needs we have to address. For example, in this budget period we have to address the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. I understand where he’s coming from. I recognize why he wants to go there. But we also have to make sure we’re covering impacts from unexpected areas."
Also on the docket this week in Tallahassee:
VEGETABLE GARDENS BILL: The Senate could approve a measure aimed at preventing local governments from regulating homeowners’ vegetable gardens. Senators on Thursday took up the bill (SB 82), sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and positioned it for a vote. The issue stems from a legal dispute between homeowners Hermine Ricketts and Laurence Carroll and the Village of Miami Shores over an ordinance that banned front-yard vegetable gardens. The couple had maintained a front-yard garden for nearly two decades but uprooted their vegetables when faced with the possibility of fines. They challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance but lost in court. Bradley said Thursday such a legal prohibition “offends me to my core.” Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff, R-DeLand, has filed an identical bill (HB 145), which has been approved by one House panel.
CHEAPER PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SOUGHT: The House Appropriations Committee will consider a proposal (HB 19), filed by Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, that would create a program aimed at importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The House has moved forward with the proposal after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced support for such a program. (Monday, 1 p.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol.)
‘AOB’ CHANGES CONSIDERED: The Senate Judiciary Committee will take up a closely watched bill (SB 122), filed by Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, that would revamp the controversial insurance practice known as “assignment of benefits.” Insurers contend that the practice has become riddled with fraud and litigation, while plaintiffs’ attorneys and other groups say it helps make sure claims are properly paid. (Monday, 4 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)
FELONS’ RIGHTS ON AGENDA: The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will take up a bill (PCB CRJ 19-03), which would carry out a constitutional amendment that requires automatic restoration of voting rights for most felons who have fulfilled their sentences. Voters approved the constitutional amendment in November. (Tuesday, 8 a.m., 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.)
PARENTAL CONSENT CONSIDERED: The House Health Quality Subcommittee will consider a proposal (HB 1335), filed by Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, that would require parental consent before minors could have abortions. The proposal would be stronger than a current requirement that parents be notified before minors have abortions. (Tuesday, 8 a.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol.)
VOLUSIA HOSPITAL WEIGHED: The House Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee will take up a bill (HB 523), filed by Rep. David Santiago, R-Deltona, that stems from a legal battle over a decision by the public Halifax Hospital Medical Center to build a hospital in Deltona. A circuit judge said the Halifax taxing district did not have authority to issue bonds for the project. The taxing district is based in Daytona Beach, and the Deltona hospital is in western Volusia County, outside the district boundaries. The bill would allow Halifax to build and operate facilities outside its boundaries. (Tuesday, 8 a.m., 12 House Office Building, the Capitol.)
HIGHWAY PROJECTS EYED: The Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee will consider a bill (SB 7068) that calls for three major toll-road projects. The bill, a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, would lead to extending the Suncoast Parkway from the Tampa Bay area to the Georgia border; extending the Florida Turnpike west to connect with the Suncoast Parkway; and building a highway from Polk County to Collier County. (Tuesday, 1:30 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)
SCHOOL SAFETY DISCUSSED: The Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee will take up a school-safety bill that includes allowing trained classroom teachers to carry guns as school “guardians.” The bill (SPB 7030) is a follow-up to a safety law the Legislature passed last year after the mass shooting at Broward County’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people. The law included creating the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, which allowed guardians --- school personnel whose primary job duties are outside the classroom --- to be armed. A commission also created by the law released a report in early January that recommended allowing teachers to be armed. The Senate bill would carry out that recommendation, which has drawn controversy. (Wednesday, 4 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)
SENATE HOLDS FLOOR SESSION: The Senate is scheduled to hold a floor session and could vote on a bill (SB 7012), filed by Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, that would carry out a constitutional amendment that bans vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in indoor workplaces. (Thursday, 10 a.m., Senate chamber.)
