‘We will work this out’: Kathleen Passidomo, Paul Renner reassure legislative staffers after vetoes

About 200 legislative employees whose positions are implicated by the veto of nearly $57 million for the Legislature’s support services received a joint memo from House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo assuring them their spots are safe.

Passidomo, a Naples Republican, and Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, wrote that she is still evaluating the veto but will work to resolve the issue.

“We understand the Governor had a concern with proviso that tasked the Office of Economic and Demographic Research with conducting a study on interchange fees,” the memo states.

“Unfortunately, there are unintended consequences that impact the Legislature’s budget. We want to assure the hundreds of hardworking, dedicated legislative employees who serve our joint offices that they do not need to worry. We will work this out.”

DeSantis eliminated the funding because it included budget language for a study of the effects of banning fees charged by credit card companies on sales taxes. But in the process the $56.7 million veto erased the entire legislative support services budget, which covers a variety of functions of the Legislature, including about 200 employees.

The Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR), the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), the Office of Legislative Information Technology (OLIT), the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) and all joint committees of the House and Senate, except the Legislative Budget Commission, are funded through the vetoed money.

Combined, they provide a variety of important functions for lawmakers and the state. OLIT resolves tech issues for House and Senate members and staff and hosts the website for the financial disclosure forms public officials are required to file. OLS handles travel and accounting payments for lawmakers and staff.

Most of the employees implicated by the veto, though, work in EDR and OPPAGA. EDR is staffed by economists who craft revenue forecasts, study and issue reports on state programs, analyze bills and laws for their effect on revenues and the economy and more.

EDR also drafts the long-range financial outlook, a three-year forecast of state revenues and expenditures, which is required by the state constitution to be done each year by Sept. 15.

DeSantis, though, doesn’t think the veto will disrupt those services. A source familiar with his thinking said the Legislature has other funds that can cover those programs, but DeSantis couldn’t approve the funding because of the study on credit card fees. DeSantis is still discussing how to fix the issue with lawmakers.

It could be tricky, though, to pay for the legislative services without a formal action by the Legislature. State law prohibits the Governor and state agencies from approving funds to pay for programs that were vetoed.

The battle over the credit card fees has played out in the Legislature in recent years, but under the radar. Bills to eliminate the fees advanced in some committees, but didn’t gain enough traction to get a vote on the floor.

Retailers pay the fees, which can run to hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and want them erased, but credit card companies argue they’re necessary.

The new budget takes effect July 1.