A couple of budgetary loose ends

Legislators have resolved all special session budget issues but two obscure issues that a key lawmaker concedes shouldn't have been bumped up to appropriations chairmen in the first place. Both are in the domain of "TED," transportation and economic development, where the key negotiators are Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey and Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, the likely speaker-to-be in 2010.

One issue involves a previous $600,000 grant for a hurricane shelter in Hernando County that was not funded from the right account. The other involves $500,000 for printing of driver safety handbook by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Gov. Charlie Crist last May vetoed proviso language on the handbook but not the money. That prompted a lawsuit by a group of driving schools, challenging Crist's power to veto language but not the related funding. Fasano said the Senate would not agree to a House position taking the unspent money away from the agency. So the two issues have been kicked upstairs to Sen. Lisa Carlton and Rep. Ray Sansom, who must agree before a new budget can be printed -- a development Fasano calls "embarrassing."

Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Friday on the newly-downsized $71-billion budget.

Comments

Fasano gets his projects. I guess his projects are a higher priority then everything else. He is embarrassing.

I heard he is preparing and posturing to run against Brown Waite.

[Fernando]

LEAVE MIKEY ALONE! JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE. HE IS TRYING TO DO THE BEST HE CAN. HE HAS HAD TROUBLE IN HIS LIFE. CAN'T YOU BAS--RDS TELL HE HAS HAD A CONSTIPATION PROBLEM? ITS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. JUST LEAVE MIKEY ALONE.

He needs to eat more fruits. Maybe he will be a nicer person if he could cure the constapation. God bless you my constipated friend.

5:20 He eats plenty of fruits.

Has anybody noticed that the transportation budget reduced the least anount of money from the budget? Health and human services took the biggest hit. Why is the transportation budget a higher priority then the health care budget? What is going on here?

10:47 I noticed the transportation budget reduced $20.1 million. Most of that came from the transportation disadvantaged fund.
Health appropriations was reduced $281.6 million Education was reduced $550 million and riminal justice was reduced $104 million. General Government water alternatives and pollution cleanup was reduced $60 million. What that should tell you is that the legislatures priority list cuts education, health care, Criminal justice (public safety),and cleanup of water and water alternatives. Transportation issues were cut the least. They seem to be more important to Senator Fasano and other legislators then all the others above. What a lousy priority list these bums have.

Someone needs to go over that transportation budget with a fine tooth comb. Go over the last several years of transportation budgets and the Growth Managemant bill of 2005, you will find many places where millions were spent for things that were never discussed in the legislative committees or on the Floor of the House or Senate. Millions in tax dollar giveaways.