The Senate proposal is more in line with Scott’s requests. The upper chamber would set aside more than $80 million for programs tied to Enterprise Florida and devote $76 million to Visit Florida.
PAY RAISES
Broad-based raises for state employees have been rare since the financial crisis, and Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, has set an increase as one of his top priorities. In all, the Senate plan would boost pay for state workers by $219.7 million.
Most state employees would get an increase of $1,400 if they make $40,000 or less a year, while those who make more than $40,000 would get a $1,000 boost. The raise would kick in Oct. 1. Other employees, mostly in law enforcement and the judicial branch, would get specialized raises.
That’s not the case in the House plan, which has specialized increases — particularly for correctional officers, an area of concern in both budgets — but not the broader-based raises offered by the Senate.
HEALTH CARE
There are substantial gaps between the two chambers on how much to provide for hospitals and other health-care needs. Under the Senate budget proposal, the Agency for Health Care Administration — which directs much of the Medicaid program — would check in at $27.7 billion, while the House has set aside $26.4 billion.
