Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
TALLAHASSEE - The Senate budget-writing committee signed off Thursday on $30-million for top Republican lawmakers' pet medical research projects.
The committee approved $15-million for an Alzheimer's research center at the University of South Florida, $9-million for a new chiropractic school at Florida State University and $6-million for a biomedical research program aimed at curing diseases.
Alzheimer's research is a special concern of House Speaker Johnnie Byrd. Biomedical research is a top interest of Senate President Jim King. The chiropractic school is something both King and Senate Majority Leader Dennis Jones, a chiropractor, have pushed for.
The Senate Appropriations Committee's vote to set aside the $30-million earlier than usual in the budgeting process led some Democrats - who are in the minority - to say the projects were being rushed.
Normally, the budget is written by subcommittees dealing with various spending areas and the full Appropriations Committee puts it all together.
But the subcommittees have only just begun working on their budgets, and still don't know exactly how much money they'll even have available to work with.
"This is unbelievable. This is $30-million," said Senate Democratic Leader Ron Klein.
The Alzheimer's center was already created by the Legislature but hasn't gotten up and running yet. The bill would name it for Byrd's father, Johnnie Byrd Sr., who died from the disease.
Klein said such research is already being done at state universities and the University of Miami. "I'm trying to understand why the need to start something new." The legislation also provides $6-million to the Department of Health for the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program, named after King's parents who died of cancer. The money for all three projects would come from the state's tax on alcoholic drinks.
The legislation (SB 2002) was approved by the committee 13-3.