Budget Negotiations Continue in Tallahassee
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
By: Tom Parkinson

March 29, 2011 | WMFE - Lawmakers are continuing work this week on a spending plan for the next fiscal year in Florida. The state Senate's tentative budget would spend nearly $3.3 billion more than the House version.

The proposed Senate spending plan that was released Monday totals nearly $70 billion dollars for the budget year beginning July 1. The House budget bill released last week would spend about $66.5 billion.
The two chambers, though, differ little on public school spending. Each would cut education spending about the same amount per student. The House proposal would cut education spending by 6.8 % and the Senate by 6.2 %.
Budget committees in both chambers are expected to vote on appropriations bills this week then joint conference committees will meet to hammer out the differences between the two budgets.
Creating a budget for the coming year is the only task state lawmakers are actually required by law to accomplish during their annual session but, by Florida law, that budget must be balanced.
That has legislators calling for deep cuts in education, health care, corrections and social programs.