Gov. Scott: 1st Legislative Session A Success
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - Pointing to the passage of tax cuts, changes to Medicaid and a measure that will require state employees to pay into their pension, Governor Rick Scott has called his first legislative session a success.
Scott said he had no idea what to expect of his first dealings with lawmakers. And he certainly didn't get everything he wanted out of the session that ended Saturday — corporate tax cuts didn't go as far as he wanted and he couldn't follow through on a promise to get tougher on illegal immigrants.
But he said he's happy with the compromises he did have to make and the changes that were made will send a message that Florida is becoming even more business friendly.
"You look at the positive. We started phasing out the business tax, we got property tax cuts, we reduced the size of government, the cost of government, we're modernizing the pension plan, we got a big success in education, we got lots of reform -- Medicaid reform," Scott said. "That's a lot of good stuff."
Scott campaigned on an agenda of creating jobs by making Florida more business-friendly. He wanted $458 million in corporate income tax cuts by lowering the tax rate from 5.5 percent to 3 percent. Lawmakers instead raised the exemption from $5,000 to $25,000, which would save each company $1,100 for a total of $30 million in cuts. He also wanted state workers to contribute 5 percent of their salary toward their pension. Lawmakers approved a 3 percent contribution.
Scott is also pleased the Legislature passed a bill that creates a merit pay system for teachers and does away with tenure for new teachers. A voucher program was expanded, as was virtual learning.
"If we just keep doing this, we will be the model for the country in education," Scott said. "Kids are going to be excited about the changes we're making and parents are (too)."
And while Scott hasn't publicly made social issues part of his agenda, he supports pro-gun laws passed this year as well as abortion laws that will require women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion and will make it more difficult for minors to get an abortion without telling their parents.
Democrats criticized Scott's handling of the session, saying he initially didn't respect that the Legislature has an equal say in laws that are passed. They also questioned how much of a success it was for Scott as opposed to the Republican Legislature doing what it would have done anyway.
"He got a lot of what he wanted but I wouldn't give him or his administration credit for it. If Bill McCollum was governor, they might have done almost everything the exact same way," said Democratic House Leader Ron Saunders, referring to the former attorney general who lost the GOP primary to Scott last year. "He just happened to be the Republican governor."
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