January 6, 2016 - 2:00pm
It’s been a contentious year since the Florida Legislature left the state Capitol after the last regular session and state lawmakers are gearing up for another 60-day session to hammer out new laws and a hefty state budget.
Here are five issues that promise to try legislators and flare tempers beginning next Tuesday:
BANG-UP GUN FIGHTS
State lawmakers will take up two major gun proposals, both of which would send the Sunshine State in the opposite direction of President Barack Obama's emphasis on gun control.
One measure, a bill to allow concealed weapons on college campuses, was the subject of intense debate during last year’s legislative session. The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, in the House and Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, in the Senate, would allow concealed weapons permit holders 21 and older to carry their firearms on public college and university campuses. Police chiefs, Democratic lawmakers, and students have expressed concerns over adding guns into an already stressful environment, but gun rights groups and Republican lawmakers say the measure is important to help keep college students safe.
Another bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, and Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, would let CCW holders openly carry their firearms in public. The proposal has been harshly criticized by the Florida Sheriffs Association, which says the legislation would make law enforcement officers’ jobs more difficult.
RICK SCOTT’S TAX CUT PLAN
State lawmakers will deal with Gov. Rick Scott’s ambitious $1 billion tax cut plan during the 60-day legislative session, an issue Scott has been pushing to deliver tax breaks to businesses and working Floridians.
But lawmakers will have to figure out if Scott’s tax cut, though admirable, is actually attainable.
“The reality of a billion dollars (in tax cuts) recurring is not off the table so much as it’s just not possible,” said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli on the tax plan.
Scott has already proposed a back-to-school tax holiday as well as slashing income tax on retailers and manufacturers, as some of the parts of his large tax-cut plan. The governor also wants to reduce taxes on commercial leases and temporarily eliminate sales taxes on college textbooks.
EDUCATION GROUPS PREPARE TO PUSH LAWMAKERS
State education was one of the hottest issues of the 2015 legislative session, with state lawmakers passing one of the biggest education overhaul bills in Florida’s history. Legislators significantly cut back on standardized testing and expressed hesitation over the controversial Common Core State Standards as well as a complicated education system.
Sen. Don Gaetz is proposing a bill to offer an alternative to the state’s new assessment test, the Florida Standards Assessment, in a move to give schools more options for testing students on their academic progress. State lawmakers have said they’ll push to allow schools to offer nationally recognized standardized tests instead of the FSA.
SCOTT, LEGISLATORS TAKE ON GAMBLING
Gambling has already begun its ascent to be one of the most controversial issues during the 2016 legislative session.
Last month, Gov. Scott signed off on a $3 billion agreement with the Seminole Tribe which would expand gambling in South Florida, allow the Seminole Tribe to open up more slot machines and potentially get rid of dog racing and horse racing in Florida.
State lawmakers will battle out the compact since any gambling deals need to be approved by the Legislature before they’re put into effect, but it’s not certain they’ll give a rubber stamp to Scott’s proposal.
Horse breeders in particular will fight tooth and nail to keep a lucrative industry alive in Florida.
ENTERPRISE FLORIDA FUNDING
The governor’s push to promote sound economic policies in the Sunshine State have prompted him to seek $250 million in a revolving trust fund which would remain untouched until the companies reached their job creation criteria.
Scott’s budget request is hefty and he’s been fighting to push state lawmakers to approve it. Over 100 have already said they’d sign onto the deal, but Scott’s biggest problem could come from the Senate, where lawmakers have already expressed concerns the governor is asking for too much money for the public-private partnership -- called by many "corporate welfare."
Reach Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com.
