advertisement

SSN on Facebook SSN on Twitter SSN on YouTube RSS Feed

Politics

House Leaders Clash on Subcommittee Budget Exercises

February 13, 2011 - 6:00pm

Party leaders in the Florida House clashed Monday over budgetary exercises being launched this week in subcommittees, as the Legislature begins to grapple with the constitutionally mandated task of balancing the state budget in spite of a $4.6 billion shortfall.

House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders of Key West sent a memo to his caucus Monday afternoon, arguing that the budgetary exercises being launched this week in subcommittees by the Republican majority were premature.

This week, Republican House appropriation subcommittees will call on individual members to identify 15 percent across-the-board spending cuts throughout state agencies. While I urge you to remain active in committee debate, I am skeptical of the exercises and I do not encourage your participation, wrote Saunders.

These exercises are premature since we have not yet determined what funds, including federal stimulus dollars, may be available. There will be a revenue-estimating conference held next month to give us the latest revenue and expense numbers, so any decisions should not be made until then.

Conducting across-the-board cut exercises uses an ax rather than a scalpel when it comes to trimming state spending, continued Saunders. I do not support the use of across-the-board cuts since they reward inefficient agencies and penalize efficient ones. Production of our state budget is an important legislative responsibility. These exercises, in my opinion, will not be helpful in fulfilling our obligation.

House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, fired back at Saunders later Monday afternoon, arguing the Democratic leader is more concerned with playing politics than building solutions.

One week after House Minority Leader Saunders stated House Democratic Caucus members are working with our Republican colleagues to produce a balanced budget for Florida, Minority Leader Saunders today released a statement encouraging the Democratic Caucus to not participate in the budget reduction exercise, said Lopez-Cantera. Representative Saunders is playing politics with the only constitutionally mandated responsibility of the Legislature. A wait-and-see approach to the budget will not get our state back on track.What Floridians need are real leaders willing to engage in making tough decisions.

While Minority Leader Saunders may not personally agree with the budget exercise, it is appalling to me that he would encourage his members to not participate at all, added Lopez-Cantera. This does not display leadership but indifference to our states future.

With Democrats controlling 39 of the 120 seats in the House, they face a near-impossible task if they choose to slow the exercises down.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.

Comments are now closed.

politics
advertisement
advertisement
Live streaming of WBOB Talk Radio, a Sunshine State News Radio Partner.

advertisement