Jesse Scheckner
Reasoning that “the necessary tasks of the Session have not been completed,” leaders in the Senate and House have agreed to extend the 2025 Regular Session until June 6 — or until the chambers concur their work is done.
Lawmakers are planning to take at least a week off, however, and intend to come back on May 12.
A joint resolution (HCR 1631) by House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison filed just before 10 p.m. Friday listed 16 bills still alive and on the docket to be considered in the coming weeks.
The bills are limited to the state’s general appropriations act (SB 2500), its implementing bill (SB 2502) and a 14 other conforming bills.
“All other measures will be indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration as of 12 a.m. Saturday, May 3 of this year,” Garrison said on the floor.
The decision to extend came after the chambers met on their respective floors before repeatedly taking breaks and reconvening throughout the day and into the evening.
That followed what was to be the Session’s final week. The Senate and House appear to be far from reaching an agreement on the 2025-26 budget, and there was an expectation beforehand that a Special Session could be planned.
In closing remarks prepared before the decision to extend, Senate President Ben Albritton expressed gratitude for the “tremendous work” Senators did so far.
He said the Senate and House “have reached a framework for a budget plan and a tentative schedule to move forward.”
“There is no question we have more work to do,” he said. “Floridians expect and deserve a balanced budget that reduces state spending, lowers per capita spending, and reduces the growth of state bureaucracy. I am committed to working with our partners in the Florida House to pass a budget that reduces debt, accounts for significant, broad-based tax relief, and maintains historic state reserves for emergencies.
“I’m also personally committed to the new reporting requirements throughout the budget that I’ve been talking about this Session. As part of our agreement with the House, we will take up the most historic tax relief package in the history of our state. This includes $2.8 billion in tax relief. We have a responsibility to safeguard taxpayer dollars and improve accountability, transparency, and oversight of government spending. Floridians can count on us to get the job done.”
Albritton included a list of the various accomplishments this Session, including enhancements to Florida’s child welfare system, veteran services, school safety, education mental health programs for police and “comprehensive hurricane response and recovery legislation.”
He mentioned legislation passed to improve condo safety, crack down on illegal immigration and protect voter information while “safeguarding the process by which constitutional amendments are placed on the ballot for consideration by Florida voters.”
That last one was a bill Gov. Ron DeSantis already signed that significantly limits how citizens can undertake future ballot initiatives.
This Session wasn’t exceptional for any of the right reasons, according to House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell.
“When you think about it, what were really the big, landmark policies that we passed? Like, what is the mark, the signature of this Legislative Session?” she said.
“Yeah there was something good on condos and that’s good, but the signature of this Session was marked by scandal, like Hope Florida. It was marked by petty infighting between the chambers and the Governor. And so I think we lost momentum in terms of big policies and big ideas because so much had to be worked out between personalities.”
The other bills still alive include:
— SB 110: Rural Communities by Sen. Corey Simon.
— SB 2504: State Employees by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
— SB 2506: Natural Resources by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
— SB 2508: Judges by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
— SB 2510: Prekindergarten Through Grade 12 Education by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
— SB 2514: Health and Human Services by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
— SB 7022: Retirement by the Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee.
— HB 5013: State-funded Property Reinsurance Programs by the House Budget Committee.
— HB 5015: State Group Insurance by the House Budget Committee.
— HB 5203: Capitol Center by the House State Administrative Budget Subcommittee.
— HB 5501: Documentary Stamp Tax Distributions by the House Transportation and Economic Development Budget Subcommittee.
— HB 7031: Sales Tax Rate Reductions by Rep. Wyman Duggan and the House Ways and Means Committee.
— HB 7033: Taxation by Duggan and the House Budget Committee.
