Florida House, Senate Release Budget Allocations, No Major Cuts Evident

March 19, 2013

House and Senate leaders unveiled plans Monday for how they would direct billions of dollars in state spending over the coming fiscal year, with both chambers apparently savoring the prospect of a budget that won’t be dominated by deep cuts in state services.

The most expansive plan was released by the House, which outlined more than $26.9 billion in spending from general revenue — well shy of the $28.5 billion that will be available — and billions more from state trust funds.

In a statement to members, House Speaker Will Weatherford said cuts weren’t necessary to make the allocations, though committee chairmen might still look for “meritorious efficiencies.”

“I remain committed to the disciplined fiscal principles that led us to where we are today but also recognize that state programs and services had been limited given the crisis we faced,” wrote Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel. “Now there is an opportunity to appropriately provide additional funding for state priorities.”

Weatherford promised the first across-the-board pay increase for state workers in six years, though he didn’t say how much salaries would rise, and more than $1 billion more for public education. Colleges and universities would reclaim a $300 million one-time cut from last year, and the state would keep $1.2 billion in reserves.

The House would also “[p]rovide for the funding of our state’s transportation needs without sweeping the State Transportation Trust Fund” Weatherford said, but $309 million would be taken from dedicated funds throughout the budget. That would include $182.7 million from trust funds in the transportation and economic development area.

A spokesman for Weatherford said it was too soon to tell which other funds in that area of the budget would be swept if the road-building fund is protected.

The House plan does not specifically spell out how it would handle teacher pay raises. Gov. Rick Scott has called for an across-the-board raise of $2,500 for public school teachers, but lawmakers have indicated they would prefer any increase be based on merit.

While comparisons of the allocations are sometimes inexact, and Senate leaders did not spell out how they would use money from an array of trust funds, the upper chamber appears to have allocated slightly less than the House. The Senate plan outlines about $26.8 billion in general revenue spending.

Senate leaders were not quite as forthcoming in exactly how the money would be spent, but Senate Budget Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said that the combined area of the budget containing public and higher education would receive “the largest increase in available general revenue.”

The Senate allocation for schools and colleges appears to be in line with or perhaps slightly higher than the House’s set-aside.

In a statement, Negron took pains to say that the Senate was being cautious with its spending, noting that across-the-board federal budget cuts and the implementation of the new federal health-care law could cause a drag on the state’s economy or increase costs.

“Florida’s fiscal situation is improving however, the outlook for the 2013-14 fiscal year continues to reflect the challenges of a slow economic recovery and the uncertainty caused by instability in Washington. … This uncertainty, caused by a lack of leadership in Washington, highlights Florida’s need to plan ahead and be cautious,” he said.

By The News Service of Florida

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News