House & Senate Set To Vote On State Budgets
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - The Florida House and Senate are prepared to vote Thursday on each chamber's preferred version of the 2015 state budget.
Each chamber is proposing a budget of at least $75 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. The House budget is roughly $75.3 billion while the Senate's budget checks in at $75 billion.
Once the votes are cast, a final series of budget negotiations will begin. State legislators have until early May to pass a final budget and send it to Governor Rick Scott's desk.
Since Republicans control a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature, the budgets are very similar. There are some differences in spending for environmental programs and on college and school construction.
Because it's an election year, legislators have set aside $500 million for tax cuts and once again both chambers agreed to not enact an across-the-board pay raise for state workers.
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