Steve Crisafulli refuses to bring Florida House back into Session

stevecrisafulli

Less than half an hour after Senate President Andy Gardiner sent a letter to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli on Wednesday asking him to bring the House back into Session, Crisafulli responded forcefully.

He’s not doing it.

The defiant speaker chastised the Senate in the letter, referring to bills the House has passed but have yet to get through the Senate. Crisafulli said the Senate  “has refused to allocate funds to our schools, our environment, and our justice system, based on a view of health care policy that is predicated on borrowing against the future of our children and grandchildren.”

The legislative crisis is stems from the impasse between House and Senate regarding Medicaid expansion. The Senate wants to take up the a variation on the federal Affordable Care Act plan, but the House wants no part of it. That led Crisafulli to abruptly end the House’s Legislative Session on Tuesday, three days early.

Later on in his reply letter, the House speaker asked Gardiner if the Senate felt so passionate about Medicaid expansion, “Why did (sic) not ask a House member to file a bill? Why did you not send us your bill so we had something to consider? Why did you not ask it be part of the Joint Work Plan?”

Crisafulli concluded by saying that he looks forward to working with Gardiner in Special Session, yet to be announced.

Mitch Perry

Mitch Perry has been a reporter with Extensive Enterprises since November of 2014. Previously, he served five years as political editor of the alternative newsweekly Creative Loafing. Mitch also was assistant news director with WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa from 2000-2009, and currently hosts MidPoint, a weekly talk show, on WMNF on Thursday afternoons. He began his reporting career at KPFA radio in Berkeley and is a San Francisco native who has lived in Tampa since 2000. Mitch can be reached at [email protected].



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704