Cannon Cuts Two Bills Slated for Veto Overrides in Special Session

Incoming Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, announced Monday that two bills targeted for veto overrides during Tuesday's special session have been taken off the schedule: HB 5611, which would move oversight of the Department of Management Services from the governor to the full Cabinet, and HB 5603, which would provide new measures to reduce workers' compensation prescription medication costs.

Cannon and incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, included those bills in a group of 10 measures the Legislature would pass over outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist's vetoes earlier this year. The legislative leaders said they picked the bills because they had overwhelming support in both chambers and were deemed uncontroversial.

Yet some legislators are unsure of what HB 5603 does, and there is disagreement about what is in the bill, even though the bill was passed unanimously in both houses.

"It has come to pass that not only is there a controversy over what is in the bill, there's a controversy among our members about what the bill will do," Cannon said.

Judging by negative votes, HB 5611 was the most contested bill scheduled for a veto override before it was dropped by Cannon. It was passed unanimously in the Senate but received 44 negative votes in the House. Cannon stated that Govenor-elect Rick Scott should have the opportunity to make his case for sole oversight of the DMS. The Legislature is instead expected to address the two bills during next year's regular session.