TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – The 2021 legislative session will begin March 2, with Gov. Ron DeSantis giving the annual State of the State deal with.
Lawmakers will take up a variety of points through the 60-day session, together with negotiating a funds for the upcoming fiscal yr.
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Listed below are 10 massive points to look at through the session:
BUDGET: With the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic decreasing anticipated tax revenues, legislative leaders have warned repeatedly that they doubtless will make funds cuts. However Gov. Ron DeSantis in January launched a file $96.6 billion funds proposal for the 2021-2022 fiscal yr, which is able to begin July 1. DeSantis’ proposal is a place to begin for lawmakers, who’ve continued to supply a less-rosy view of the state’s funds.
EDUCATION: Persevering with years of Republican efforts to spice up faculty selection, lawmakers are contemplating a serious school-vouchers invoice that features increasing eligibility for scholarship packages and creating what are generally known as “schooling financial savings accounts.” In the meantime, public faculties will likely be a key funds concern, partially as a result of lawmakers should determine the best way to deal with practically 88,000 college students who didn’t enroll as anticipated this yr through the pandemic.
ELECTIONS: Republican leaders are backing controversial proposals that might change the vote-by-mail course of. For example, one proposal would require voters to request vote-by-mail ballots extra continuously, whereas one other would stop volunteers from accumulating vote-by-mail ballots from folks outdoors of their households. Critics argue the proposals are aimed toward decreasing mail-in voting, which Democrats used closely through the 2020 elections.
ENVIRONMENT: DeSantis is asking lawmakers for $625 million to proceed a multi-year effort to revive the Everglades and deal with different water-related points, comparable to springs restoration. However he is also pitching a brand new “Resilient Florida” program, which might contain issuing bonds to assist present $1 billion over 4 years to state and native governments to handle climate-change impacts, comparable to rising sea ranges.
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HEALTH CARE: As the biggest a part of the state funds, well being and human companies will play a key position as lawmakers negotiate a brand new spending plan. One carefully watched concern will likely be Medicaid reimbursement charges for hospitals and nursing properties. Lawmakers might look to cut back state {dollars} going into Medicaid with out slashing charges, probably by a brand new hospital association that might contain native cash getting used to attract down federal matching funds.
INSURANCE: Senate leaders are backing a long-debated thought to eradicate Florida’s no-fault auto insurance coverage system and the requirement that motorists carry personal-injury safety, or PIP, protection. The proposal would result in motorists being required to hold bodily harm protection. Additionally, lawmakers might make adjustments within the property-insurance system, as premiums improve and extra householders flip to the state-backed Residents Property Insurance coverage Corp.
LIABILITY: Well being-care suppliers and different companies are clamoring for protections from coronavirus-related lawsuits. The Home is poised to rapidly go a invoice that might protect non-health care companies from legal responsibility, However lawmakers are wrestling with some thorny points, together with particulars of protections for nursing properties and assisted residing amenities, which have seen greater than 10,000 deaths through the pandemic.
PROTESTS: One of many hottest debates through the session might middle on proposals by Republican leaders to boost penalties related to violent protests, create new crimes when mobs assault property or police and make it troublesome for cities to trim law-enforcement spending. The proposals have drawn criticism from Democrats who say they’re pointless and divisive and might be used to squash peaceable assemblies.
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES: Senate Republicans are backing a controversial proposal that might have an effect on public-employee union dues, whereas additionally probably shifting away from the state’s conventional pension system for presidency staff. Unions have lined as much as battle the union dues proposal, which might put further necessities on the method for deducting dues from paychecks. The opposite proposal might shift new staff to a 401(ok)-style system.
TAXES: With Florida companies pushing for the change, lawmakers are contemplating a proposal that might require out-of-state on-line retailers to gather gross sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians. Presently, retailers which have a bodily presence in Florida should acquire and remit gross sales taxes for objects bought within the state. The invoice seeks to place the identical accountability on retailers that don’t have such a presence however promote merchandise to Floridians.
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