Florida Legislature Day 57: Deadline to pass a budget during the regular session
April 28, 2009 at 7:06 am by Jim JohnsonBy Jim Johnson
PoHo Contributor
Jim Johnson is the creator of The State of Sunshine blog.
Today is the 57th day of the 2009 Legislative session.
Today is the deadline for having the state budget completed. The Florida Constitution requires the final budget be available to legislators and the public for 72 hours before they legislature can officially vote on it. With the 2009 Regular session scheduled to end on Friday, the budget must be “on the desk” before 11:59 tonight. Media reports have indicated that will not happen.
However, the House and Senate are still meeting in Session today to consider passage of bills that have completed the committee process. Bills heard “on the Floor” are on first placed on a “Special Order Calendar” where they are read (for the second time), debated, and amended. Bills taken up on Special Order move to “3rd reading.” The Florida Constitution requires bills to be read three times before a chamber can pass the bill.
Here are the highlights from their Calendars:
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Florida House of Representatives |
The House will meet in session to consider passage of bills that have completed the committee process. Some of the bills to be heard today are:
Third Reading:
- House Bill 7099, a committee bill by the Insurance, Business & Financial Affairs Policy Committee — The bill implements federal requirements that all states have a system of licensure meeting national definitions and minimum standards for mortgage loan originators. These federal standards include greater accountability and regulation of loan originators and enhance consumer protections. The bill establishes regulatory requirements for individuals, rather than businesses, licensed or registered as mortgage brokers and lenders, collectively known as loan originators. The bill also fulfills the requirement that states participate in a national licensing registry.
- Senate Bill 762 by Sen. Ken Pruitt — The bill will permit all eleven state university to utilize differential tuition, which allows the individual universities to exceed the tuition set by the Legislature by no more than 15%. The extra tuition dollars must enhance undergraduate education and provide additional need-based financial aid. It also limits the total tuition and fees after differential to the national average of public universities. Some students will not have to pay this additional tuition, including students on pre-paid programs or who were enrolled prior to July 1, 2007.
- Senate Bill 2682 by Sen. Ken Pruitt — The bill implements some of the recommendations of the Florida College System Task Force and the State College Pilot Project. The biggest change requires Community College graduates to get priority over out-of-state applicants for transfer into Florida’s state universities. (Community Colleges can also change their name to “State College” if they are accredited for granting baccalaureate degrees.)
- Senate Bill 2108 by Sen. Ken Pruitt. — The bill transitions funding from the current clerk budgeting processes to the legislative appropriation of funds for court-related functions of the clerks.
Special Order Calendar:
There will be no more House Bills on Special Order Calendars because of House Rules. After the 55th day (April 26) of regular session, no House bills on second reading may be taken up and considered by the House.
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Florida Senate |
The Senate will meet in session to consider passage of bills that have completed the committee process. Some of the bills to be heard today are:
Third Reading:
- Senate Bill 642 by Sen. — This bill carries a number of changes and additions to Florida’s specialty license plates, including two controversial religious license plates.
- House Bill 453 by Rep. Will Weatherford — This bill expands the existing Corporate Income Tax Credit program for corporations who donate funds to private voucher programs. The bill allows corporations who collect and remit sales taxes, who makes estimated tax payments, and who makes an eligible contribution to an private voucher program is allowed a credit against any estimated sales tax payment.
- Senate Bill 234 by Sen. Don Gaetz – The bill clarifies that university boards of trustees are responsible for hiring and administering the university president, not the Board of Governors.
- Senate bill 448 by Sen. Nan Rich — The bill actually makes beastiality a crime. Apparently, despite the efforts of prosecutors in the State of Florida, persons who are actually caught in the act of sexual intercourse with an animal cannot generally be charged with or convicted of a sex-related crime — only animal cruelty.
Special Order Calendar:
- Senate Bill 2058 by Sen. J.D. Alexander — The bill expands the “Charter County Transit System Surtax” to all 20 of Florida’s charter counties and renames it to the “Charter County Transportation System Surtax. This would allow the board of county commissioners of any charter county to propose a referendum asking the voters to approve a ½-cent sales tax to pay for transportation and transit projects. Hillsborough County was previously included in the surtax but the Hillsborough County BOCC has not taken advantage of this option.
- Senate Bill 1978 by Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla — The bill requires school districts to spend at least 70% of a school’s budget on classroom instruction.
- Senate bill 2036 by Sen. Mike Bennett — This bill will allow property insurance companies to sell virtually unregulated residential property insurance on the open market, giving more choice and power to the consumers.
- Specifying that the Florida State Boxing Commission must approve the sanctioning organization for amateur mixed martial arts events, and
- Establishing procedures that give a restaurant owner the discretion, with local approval by ordinance, to allow patrons to bring their dogs onto outside patio eating areas
