FL. Legislatures Return for Special Session

[TheCat]

With a looming deadline, Florida legislators return to the state Capitol this week promising to do what they couldn't during the 60-day regular session that ended May 1.

And that's pass a new state budget that covers everything from money for schools and hospitals to paying for child abuse investigations.

Legislative leaders are already promising that they will pass a budget during the 20-day session that starts Monday. They have until the end of June or parts of state government could be shut down.

"We're going to get the budget done and we feel pretty strongly about that," Senate President Andy Gardiner said.

But the Republicans who lead the House and Senate and Republican Gov. Rick Scott still remain deeply divided on everything from health care spending to tax cuts. The budget stalemate, which began over money for hospitals and health care coverage, could doom Scott's priorities, including a substantial tax cut package.

Scott maintains that legislators can craft a budget that includes enough money for hospitals without sacrificing nearly $700 million in tax cuts, which includes a cut in cellphone taxes that would save the average Floridian more than $40 a year.

"I think we have the money to be able to do that," Scott told business leaders last week.

But Scott's latest proposal would still require cuts for many public hospitals — including large ones in South Florida and some in other parts of the state that are large employers. The Scott administration has defended the proposal by pointing out that most of these hospitals will still be profitable, but the plan would also steer more money to private for-profit hospitals.

Scott once led one of the nation's largest hospital chains but he was forced out amid a federal investigation that resulted in a then-record $1.7 billion fine. He was not charged with any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said he was unaware of the problems going on underneath him.

Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon and the Senate budget chief, called it unlikely that senators would agree to cut money to some hospitals just to set aside enough money for Scott's tax cut package.

"Are we really going to blow the budget up over tax cuts?" Lee asked. "The dilemma for the Legislature is do we shore up the health care system, or do we cut their funding and use the resources dedicated to that to fund tax cuts?"

http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida-legislature-returns-for-special-session-amid-ongoing-fight-over-health-care-and-budget/33319940