UTD9 - Flipbook - Page 6
rely on to protect their communities.
BUDGET PROCESS
Today o昀케cially marks the scheduled 昀椀nal
day of Florida’s legislative session, but
the one piece of legislation the Legislature
is constitutionally required to pass each
year—the state budget—has not yet been
昀椀nalized.
Under Florida law, lawmakers must approve a balanced budget before the new
昀椀scal year begins on July 1. While the
House and Senate have spent the past
60 days debating policy and passing hundreds of bills, negotiations over the state’s
spending plan for the upcoming 昀椀scal year
are still ongoing. Because the two chambers have not yet reached agreement on
a 昀椀nal budget, the Legislature will extend
its work so negotiators can resolve the remaining di昀昀erences.
Senate President Ben Albritton and House
Speaker Danny Perez have stated that the
Legislature will reconvene following the
Easter and Passover holidays to continue negotiations on the state budget. As
the budget conferencing process begins,
the Florida PBA will continue monitoring
developments closely and will provide updates as negotiations move forward and
as soon as conferencing produces new information.
For Florida’s law enforcement community,
the state budget is far more than a 昀椀nancial
document. It determines funding for pay
raises, bene昀椀ts, retirement systems, training, equipment, and the resources agecies
That is why the Florida PBA works tirelessly throughout the legislative session to advocate for our members and ensure that
lawmakers understand the needs of Florida’s law enforcement professionals.
Each year, the process begins with three
separate budget proposals: one from the
Governor, one from the Florida House of
Representatives, and one from the Florida
Senate. These proposals often re昀氀ect different priorities and funding levels, which
means negotiations are necessary to produce a single 昀椀nal spending plan.
Those negotiations take place during what
is known as budget conferencing, when
House and Senate leaders meet to reconcile di昀昀erences between their spending
plans line by line. Once negotiators reach
agreement, both chambers must pass the
same 昀椀nal budget before it can be sent to
the Governor.
Even after legislative approval, the process is not complete. The Governor has
the authority to sign the budget into law or
veto speci昀椀c spending items.
Until that signature happens, nothing in the
budget is 昀椀nal—but the Legislature must
complete the process before the new 昀椀scal
year begins.
The following pages explain how Florida
moves from three separate budget proposals to one 昀椀nal spending plan and why
this process is so important for the future
of Florida’s law enforcement community.
