TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – A dispute over Florida’s budget has emerged between the House and Senate before lawmakers have even released their spending proposals.
The House and Senate historically release their budget proposals on the same day, typically around the midpoint of the legislative session. This timing allows lawmakers to work through the process and resolve differences between the chambers.
The Senate says it is waiting on the House to move forward with budget proposals.
“We can roll it out today. We can roll it out tomorrow. We can roll it out next week. The goal of a lot of the members is to go home on day 60. The longer we prolong that process, Day 60 just becomes another day in the process,” said Sen. Ed Hooper, the Republican Senate Appropriations Chair.
Florida Politics
House Budget Chair Lawrence McClure pushed back on social media, saying the House has no role in when the Senate releases its budget proposal.
“With respect to Senator Hooper, during this term, the Florida Senate has demonstrated little interest in respecting legislative traditions. Any timing issues they are having in pulling together their Senate budget have absolutely nothing to do with the Florida House,” McClure said in a post on X.
Last year, arguments over the budget extended the regular legislative session by a month and a half.
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