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House, senators flop roles on budget

Senators propose deep cuts to programs they backed, while House members want to fully fund those they tried to eliminate.

TALLAHASSEE - In a normal year, the moderate Senate can be counted on to sand down the edges of the more unpredictable House.

This is not a normal year.

In a role reversal that has seasoned Capitol watchers scratching their heads, senators have proposed deep cuts in the same health care programs they vociferously defended last year.

The House, meanwhile, would fully fund programs it tried to cut last year.

It is a budget year in which down is up and up is down, when the trademark phrase of the House, "Live within our means," is still heard - but from lips of senators.

"Part of it is gamesmanship and bargaining position," said Rep. Don Sullivan, R-South Pasadena, who spent 10 years in the Senate, the past two in charge of education spending.

Last year, the Senate initially wanted to spend $1.4-billion more than the House.

So far this year, the House wants to outspend the Senate by $1.2-billion.

Much of the change in the Senate attitude comes from incoming Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, who brings a growing sense that Florida no longer can afford to build its budget on uncertain sources of money.

The Senate is unwilling to rely too heavily on one-time money - such as a federal surplus - to pay for annual programs such as health care and education. It would rather cut now than cut more later.

"We're going to be faced with a really tough moral dilemma," Lee said recently.

Lee's stance leaves some social service advocates and clients asking how much senators are willing to cut from programs for the needy for the sake of financial principles.

"They need to pick some different target to whack the heck out of," said Karen Woodall, who represents people reliant on Florida's health care programs.

Lee has proposed a constitutional amendment that would limit the spending of one-time money on continuing services to 3 percent of the budget. Any more than that would require a three-fifths vote in the Legislature.

Gov. Jeb Bush has endorsed the Senate plan.

Senate leaders "deserve high praise for a well-crafted budget as it relates to the long-term needs of the state," Bush said this week.

But the Senate position isn't so different from that of the House, said Rep. Bruce Kyle, the Fort Myers Republican in charge of House spending.

"We have all agreed that the nonrecurring and recurring (money) is a legitimate issue," Kyle said. "In the House I just think we're a little more optimistic on how much of the nonrecurring is recurring."

The $57.7-billion spending plan approved Friday by the House budget committee would allot $1.1-billion of one-time money on annual services. The $56.5-billion proposal approved Thursday by the Senate budget panel would allot $820-million.

The difference in one-time money translates into severe health care cuts in the Senate proposal.

Two proposed cuts have received the most attention: the elimination of prenatal care for about 7,000 poor pregnant women and the replacement of Medically Needy, a health care program for extremely sick people who can't get insurance.

The House would fully fund both of those programs.

The Senate budget eliminates state-subsidized health insurance coverage for 9,000 children of legal immigrants, but the House budget covers them.

The Senate budget eliminates a proposed staffing increase at nursing homes across the state, but the House delays the planned increase by two months.

Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville, defended the cuts to health and human services, saying they had to come from somewhere.

"If not HHS, I'd have to have done it out of education," King said this week. "With the situation we have moneywise, we've got to make some painful decisions."

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Comparing the House and Senate budget plans:

TOTAL: House, nearly $57.7-billion; Senate, more than $56.5-billion EDUCATION: House, $17.8-billion; Senate, $17.9-billion

HUMAN SERVICES: House, $21.6-billion; Senate, $20.8-billion

LAW ENFORCEMENT, PRISONS: House, $3.8-billion; Senate, $3.8-billion

ROADS, NATURAL RESOURCES: House, $9.6-billion; Senate, $9.7-billion

GENERAL GOVERNMENT: House, $4.399-billion; Senate, $3.99-billion

COURTS: House, $427-million; Senate, $385-million

- Associated Press