Senate President Mike Haridopolos says upcoming budget conference sessions will be fully available to the public.
Everything that is in conference as we position ourselves with our conforming bills and otherwise will be open and transparent in the next two weeks, the Merritt Island Republican told reporters Monday. I know were going to continue that tradition we followed last year.
Meanwhile, talks on how to conduct the legislative budget conference sessions went late into Sunday night and continued Monday afternoon. Still, no schedule has been set for the annual conference sessions this year to negotiate the differences in the $70 billion spending packages out of the House and Senate.
With less than two weeks remaining in the regular session, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, said Monday she hoped the conference session could be scheduled as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, adding there are not a lot of huge differences in the two fiscal plans.
Most of our talks have been pretty fluid, its been relatively good conversations, Grimsley said. For the most part, were very close on most things.
She added that the conference sessions will be held in public.
Trying to settle any differences in how they will approach this years public conference sessions, with the use of money from long-term savings accounts of higher education and transportation expected to be among the biggest issues, discussions between the budget chiefs for the House and Senate went to midnight Sunday.
Haridopolos said there will be no surprises tucked into the budget when the fiscal package is released 72 hours prior to the final vote.
There are issues that do come in late, but anything that does come is going to have to be heard in some type of committee and referenced in these public meetings back and forth, Haridopolos said.
I hope were all being realistic or at least pragmatic about what has happened in the past. There are a lot of veterans who know in the past a lot of things have just showed up in the budget. That wont be happening. Youll see this give and take, back and forth being discussed openly on the floor.
He added that he and House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, have not been involved in the preconference discussions.
On Monday, the House designated a number of bills approved by the Senate for the conference sessions, including the effort by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, to speed the split of University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland into a separate state university.
Weve had some preliminary discussions about how we find our way home on all of these issues, Alexander said. There is a lot of work to be done. Were far from being done on the allocations to the conference committees.
Cannon said he expects the budget talks will be smoother this year because, even with policy choices and some numerical differences, he doesnt see any insurmountable obstacles in the fiscal plans presented out of either chamber.
There are always differences ... but my view from 30,000 feet is the House and Senate are closer together this session than last session, Cannon said, speaking to reporters on Friday.
Both budgets include Gov. Rick Scotts call for a $1 billion increase in funding for pre-K education along with reductions in hospital payments.
And while there are no tax increases, as legislators have pledged not to pursue increases in revenue without the availability of offsetting revenue reductions, college students could face tuition hikes.
Scott, speaking to reporters on Thursday in the Governors Club in Tallahassee, said he opposed any tuition hike for students. But he wouldnt say if he would veto any increase.
Ill look at it, but I dont see any reason why we ought to be raising tuition, Scott said.
Bills that would allow the University of Florida and Florida State University to exceed the 15 percent cap on tuition have advanced through both chambers.
The House has recommended an 8 percent base tuition hike, which would require each state university to individually get approval from the Board of Governors for the additional 7 percent. The Senate has put the base tuition hike at 3 percent.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
