TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — House and Senate negotiators agreed Wednesday night to use $200 million in federal stimulus money to give Gov. Ron DeSantis part of his request for a gas-tax break, as they wrapped up more of a budget that will send the annual legislative session into overtime.
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House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, approved a wide range of uses for $3.46 billion in stimulus money. That included funding the gas-tax break, which would occur in October, just ahead of the November elections. Also, they agreed on more than $450 million in additional tax relief, which had mostly been included in a House bill (HB 7071).
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A budget that will top $100 billion is expected to be completed Thursday, with Trumbull and Stargel still hammering out differences on what are known as “conforming” bills, including a controversial environmental package (SB 2508).
The state is flush with cash from the stimulus money and higher-than-expected tax revenues. But House and Senate leaders could not complete the budget by a Tuesday deadline, meaning lawmakers likely will have to return to Tallahassee on Monday to vote on a spending plan for the fiscal year that will start July 1.
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“People always think it’s harder when you don’t have money. I would say it’s been harder to try and figure out how to appropriately fund things in an efficient and effective way,” Stargel said.
News Service of Florida compiled this report.
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