State Legislators Poised To Approve Rival Budgets

The Florida House and Senate are poised to approve rival versions of a new $87 billion state budget.Legislators spent most of Wednesday asking questions and make minor changes to the spending plan that will cover all state spending from July 2018 to June 2019.
The House and Senate are expected to take a final vote on Thursday. Legislators will then have the next month to work out a long line of differences. The annual session is scheduled to end on March 9.
While the two chambers are spending roughly the same, they are not spending the same amount in key areas, including on environmental programs, public schools and on state universities.
Last year, Republican leaders feuded over how much to spend on programs favored by Gov. Rick Scott.