Lawmakers bicker going into final day of session
TALLAHASSEE — The House and Senate kept wrestling Thursday over how to increase funding for public schools and other programs, leaving them just one day to finish their special session on time.
By evening, it appeared as though an extension of the $60,000-a-day session would be likely, as deep-seated mistrust between the GOP-controlled chambers continued to weigh down any chances of a compromise.
Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, criticized Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to veto Senate projects in the budget to pay for increased funding for economic development programs. Scott feuded for months with House Speaker Richard Corcoran, RLand O’Lakes, over funding the programs, but reached a deal last week to save an education bill that’s a top Corcoran priority.
“We’re not just going to
If they don’t reach a deal today, lawmakers would have to either extend the session or return for another special session before June 30.
rubberstamp an agreement that two parties made without our priorities being taken into account,” Negron said.
Scott called lawmakers back to add $215 million to the PreK-12 schools budget, put $76 million toward tourism promotion and set up an $85 million fund for infrastructure and job training. Scott then vetoed the $11.5 billion public schools budget and slashed $410 million in local projects.
But Scott was in Washington. D.C., for much of Thursday to attend an infrastructure meeting with President Donald Trump. The event had been scheduled for a few weeks, according to Scott’s office.
A key to the impasse is how to pay for the additional school funding, which would increase per-student spending by $100 to $7,296 compared with last year.
The Senate teed up a bill Thursday ahead of a floor vote today that uses reserves to pay for part of the school increase. That move backed off an idea by Negron to use increased revenue from property taxes on new construction to pay for it.
Corcoran was opposed to that plan. An agreement with Scott called for using the $410 million in vetoed projects to pay for the increased spending.
The deal between Scott and Corcoran was thought to guarantee Scott’s signature of HB 7069, a wide-ranging education bill that includes a top Corcoran priority of $185 million for charter schools to compete with chronically failing public schools.
The bill is not part of the special session but has generated fierce opposition from public school administrators across the state who have decried provisions giving more construction funding to charter schools and taking away some of their discretion to spend federal grant money.
Many senators, however, have expressed skepticism of HB 7069, despite voting for the bill. They also soured on the deal for a special session when Scott’s veto list showed many of their projects were cut. In response, senators voted Wednesday to override his vetoes of the schools budget and 19 local projects, mostly university building construction and maintenance, including $2 million for UCF’s downtown campus. But the House has insisted it will not follow suit.
“We would be the first Republican Legislature that overrode a Republican governor on pork-barrel spending. Find me that example. I don’t think it exists,” Corcoran said.
Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, says he agrees with Corcoran’s goal of improving education for children, but says HB 7069 moves too fast to be effective.
“You can’t get this accomplished in the time period that is set forth without a tremendous amount of turmoil and probably some children who are going to be guinea pigs for a process that is not yet tested,” Simmons said. “We don’t have the ability to take risks on these children. It’s their lives.”
But Republican senators defeated amendments from Democrats that would have used money from HB 7069 to pay for more money for public schools, fearing Corcoran wouldn’t accept such a move.
The House and Senate, however, did move closer together on a bill to set up rules for medical marijuana, fulfilling the wishes of 71 percent of voters who approved an amendment legalizing it last November. Both chambers are poised to approve legislation today that allows for licenses for 17 companies, with additional licenses available as the number of eligible patients increases.
The chambers continue to clash over economic development programs, too. The House is poised to vote on a bill that sets up an $85 million “growth fund” today aimed at road and other infrastructure projects and job training, but the Senate’s similar bill puts more rules on how Scott’s administration can spend the money.
Corcoran says the measure accomplishes his goal of ending “corporate welfare” — direct payments to companies to entice them to add jobs in the state — and instead sets up a fund for projects that benefit the public at large.
“I think this is the beginning of the walls crashing down on corporate welfare nationwide,” Corcoran said. “I think every other governor and every other state will start looking at this fund and the way we’re doing it that benefits everybody.’’
If they don’t reach a deal today, lawmakers would have to either extend the session or return for another special session before June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Otherwise, school districts would be unable to pay employees or operate summer school starting July 1.