The latest news about budget negotiations between the Florida House and Senate is that there really isn’t any news to report.
House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton issued brief statements late Friday afternoon telling their members that they do not need to plan on returning to Tallahassee next week.
“I hope to have a better idea of our scheduling moving forward in the next few days and will share another update after the Memorial Day Holiday,” Albritton wrote.
“We continue working closely with the Senate toward a final budget agreement,” added Perez in his own statement to his members. “We will ensure you have the necessary notice to make travel and scheduling arrangements when the time comes.”
The 60-day regular legislative session was scheduled to end three weeks ago, on May 2. However, the two chambers have not been able to come together on a budget, the only job that they are constitutionally required to accomplish. The dispute mainly centers on the issue of tax cuts.
The session was originally extended to June 2, but the House returned to Tallahassee for one day last week to extend until June 30 – something that the Senate has yet to do. The fiscal year ends on June 30. If lawmakers don’t pass a budget by that time it would mean a government shutdown.
The budget passed by the House in April was $113 billion, about $4.4 billion less than the Senate’s spending plan.
–Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
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