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Lawmakers To Tackle Budget Shortfall

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By CARL ORTH

The Suncoast News

Published: January 3, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - Lawmakers serving west Pasco County are gearing up for a special session of the Florida Legislature next week to work on the state's budget deficit of more than $2.3 billion.

State Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin, state Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, and state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, will head for Tallahassee for the overtime session, which begins Monday and runs through Jan. 16.

It might be easier for the Pasco delegation members to list what expenditures they don't want to cut.

"I believe that we should make as few cuts as possible in the health care area and, at the same time, increase revenue where appropriate," Anderson said. He has been appointed to the Healthy Seniors Appropriations Committee and the full Appropriations Council on General Government and Health.

"I feel strongly that community care and home care for the elderly should be adequately funded," Anderson said. "It's also important to put adequate funding into prevention programs and to keep seniors in their homes."

Anderson thinks the state can provide more services to more people for the same money by keeping seniors out of nursing homes and long-term care facilities as long as possible.

Streamlining the state's contracts and procurement process could be a good place to start, Anderson said. He and Fasano have filed a bill that would authorize the changes.

The potential savings to the state are estimated as high as $100 million a year from competitive bidding and other changes.

Legg, an educator, says he will focus on school-related issues.

"My priority is to give the school districts flexibility in spending what precious little resources they have," Legg said, "and lessen the layers of administrators and requirements on schools so they can put their resources in the classroom."

Lawmakers will have to streamline all state spending, Legg said.

"In order to raise additional revenue, I support making those who utilize the services pay for those services, such as increase penalties for those that break our laws in order to fund those services that they are using," Legg said.

Fasano will resist proposals for new taxes, said Greg Giordano, Fasano's chief legislative assistant.

"That's not going to stimulate the economy," Giordano said, referring to Fasano's philosophy on taxes.

Because Fasano serves as chairman of the state Transportation and Economic Development Committee, he has oversight on budget issues.

Homeowners, renters, small-business owners and many others continue to tighten their belts financially, Giordano said. The state government will have to do the same.

Fasano thinks health care and other important services should not suffer budget cuts, or at least keep the cuts to a bare minimum, Giordano added.

A hiring freeze is one option Fasano will consider, Giordano said.

Last fiscal year, state employees did not get pay raises, Giordano said.

"There are many options out there" to trim the state budget during the special session, Giordano said.

State lawmakers, however, might have to confront an additional $3 billion in cuts this spring, Giordano said. That's the projected shortfall in revenue for fiscal 2010 by the time lawmakers gather for the regular session, which begins in March.

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