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Legislators are on track to end the 60 day legislative session later today. As this Legislative Link went to press, bills were flying through both chambers in a mad rush to get priority issues off the table, and next year's $82 billion state budget awaited a final vote.
As a result, Legislators will accomplish their top session priority: adjourn on time. With elections before them, the coming months are too important to spend in Tallahassee.
But they may end up returning. It appears votes on the budget in both chambers will be lopsided, with enough "yeas" to easily over-ride vetoes by Governor Scott. Even so, many are speculating the Governor may surpass the $461 million he vetoed last year because Legislators refused to come close on his request for $1 billion in tax cuts and $250 million for economic incentives. In the end, the tax cut package is about $400 million and no incentives are in the budget.
The Governor has seven days - next Wednesday - from budget passage to veto it.
This much-abbreviated Legislative Link will be followed in the near future - after the dust settles from the last days of frenetic lawmaking - with a comprehensive Wrap-Up Edition, highlighting key issues addressed and not addressed by the 2016 Legislature.
In the meantime, click here to view major budget items of interest to United Ways and our partners across the state.
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