By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
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THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, April 11, 2017……… Lawmakers will begin debate Wednesday on two very different budget plans, with the House proposal about $4 billion lighter overall than the Senate version.
The bottom line differences are smaller — the Senate budget for the year beginning July 1 officially weighs in at $83.2 billion, compared to $81.2 billion for the House — but the Senate doesn’t account for $2 billion in higher-education tuition.
After both chambers vote on their proposals — probably on Thursday — formal negotiating will begin, with legislative leaders first having to decide how much money to devote to each area of the budget before conference committees hammer out agreements on how to spend the funds in each pot.
If lawmakers want to leave Tallahassee by May 5, as scheduled, all the discussions have to be finished by May 2 to allow for a constitutionally required 72-hour “cooling off” period before a final vote is taken.
Originally posted 2017-04-12 02:06:12.
