James Call
Florida lawmakers will start work on a new state budget the first week of the New Year. Committee meetings are scheduled for Jan. 5 – 8 amidst the inauguration of Gov. Rick Scott for a second term Jan. 6.
Scheduled among the committee’s introductory meetings are three House Appropriations meetings and various Senate committees expecting updates on agencies carrying out legislative directives.
In addition to budget talks, lawmakers will also exercise legislative oversight of state agencies; committees expect to hear an overview of the Department of Health, an update on the Department of Children and Families and discuss reforming the Department of Corrections.
State economist Amy Baker will brief the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday Jan. 7, on revenue projections for the 2015 – 2016 budget. Monday the Office of Economic & Demographic Research added $622 million to the total lawmakers expect to have when they begin writing a budget. Monday’s report, not yet available online, updated the EDR’s fall forecast which had predicted a $336 million surplus.
The additional billion dollars may already be earmarked; Gov. Rick Scott promised voters during his reelection campaign to cut taxes by a billion dollars over two years and to boost public education spending to the highest level ever. Voters also approved a conservation amendment directing a portion of real estate tax revenue to land and water projects. The sorting out of the different interests begins when lawmakers meet Jan. 5 – 8 in Tallahassee.
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee has scheduled presentations on the Department of Corrections including one by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement about inmates dying in custody for Monday.
The House Health Quality Subcommittee expects to hear an overview of the Department of Health responsibilities Tuesday. DOH will miss a Jan. 1 deadline to have a regulatory framework in place for a medicinal marijuana industry. Lawmakers approved a measure last year allowing doctors to use cannabis oil to treat patients but it is unclear when DOH will produce a legal set of regulations allowing sale of the medicine in Florida.
The Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee has scheduled a briefing on the conservation amendment Wednesday, Jan. 7. Senate President Andy Gardiner has said the earmarking of tax revenue for a specific purpose has reverberations throughout the budget.
Department of Children & Families Sec. Mike Carroll is scheduled to address the Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee at its Thursday meeting. Chair Eleanor Sobel has been pushing reform of how the state responds to child abuse in the wake of various high-profile cases and newspaper investigations.
The 2015 Legislative Session convenes March 3.
