Jacob Ogles
A half-billion-dollar chasm exists between what House and Senate appropriators want to spend on funding to communities after disasters.
But budget negotiations may be as impacted by changes proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) than by anything happening in Tallahassee.
The latest offer from the Senate Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee includes just $100 million in funding to communities impacted by federally declared disasters that remain open. That’s a significant drop from an original Senate proposal, which suggested $846.6 million for that purpose.
But the Senate President’s Office noted the budget includes written provisions that would allow the Department of Emergency Management to submit budget amendments to draw down additional federal money as needed.
“This is not making any changes to how communities receive funding. If there is federal funding available, then communities would be able to receive it,” said Katherine Betta, a spokesperson for Senate President Ben Albritton.
“The reality is that at this time, we do not know what changes are going to take place at FEMA. So instead of authorizing $846.6 million in draw down for funds that may not be available, the Senate offer is authorizing $100 million initially, with budget amendments to draw down additional.”
The House originally proposed $646.6 million for community funding, a good $200 million less than the Senate originally wanted. The lower chamber has not responded yet to the latest offer, or accounted itself for FEMA’s uncertain future.
Of note, the House initially wanted the budget to have almost $203.8 million for state operations for open federally declared disasters. The Senate initially sought about $53 million for the state, but its latest offer matched the House proposal to the penny.
That could account for more than $150 million in shifting disaster funding. But the $303.7 million in total disaster funding from the Senate now sits a solid $547 million under the House’s original spending proposal.
So where did funding shift? The Senate agreed to fund $750,000 in the budget silo to readiness efforts for a switchover in state government to the Florida Planning, Accounting, And Ledger Management (PALM) system. The Senate offer also directs $3.2 million to the Statewide Emergency Alert and Notification System, but that’s down from $3.68 million the Senate originally proposed.
In total, the Senate has cut its Emergency Management proposed budget to $411.4 million, after initially proposing more than $1 billion be set aside. The shift in disaster funding accounts for the vast majority of that change. That also helps put the Senate’s latest Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development plan in its entirety about $548 million less than the House’s initial proposal.
