Christine Jordan Sexton
Just 231 bills passed in the the dysfunctional 2015 session.
Most of them, legislative reports show, remain in the Legislature.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and Senate President Andy Gardiner have been slow to release bills to Gov. Rick Scott. The House passed 154 bills, memorials, and local bills that require gubernatorial action. One hundred fifty of them still are in the House. The Senate has passed 75 bills and 68 of them still are residing in the Senate.
Scott has not received a bill since April 16. In all, he has received nine bills and quickly signed them all into law, including a bill that moves Florida’s presidential primary to the third Tuesday in March.
The state Constitution puts no timelines on the presiding officers to send bills to the governor but it does note that “every bill passed by the Legislature shall be presented to the governor.” If the governor is given a bill during session he has seven days to sign it or veto it. Otherwise, it becomes law without his signature.
The governor has 15 days to sign a bill or veto it if the bill is sent to his attention after the Legislature adjourns.
Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta said the Senate coordinates with the governor’s office and sends bills per his requests.
“We usually defer to him for the order and day he wants to receive the bills,” Betta wrote in an email. “The thought is that if we were to send them all at once, there is no way he and his staff can give each bill a comprehensive review within the limited time he has to act. This has been the practice for many years.”
A review of the 2014 session shows that Scott started receiving bills in early May.
Michael Williams in the Speaker’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Updated at 4:19 p.m: the Senate has sent over 68 bills to the governor’s office.
