Tag: Florida State Road 589

Call it a Good Friday news dump: House Appropriations Chair Travis Cummings said there was a chance an extended or Special Session may be needed this year to finish the 2019-20 state budget. “I could see a scenario where we extend Session past Sine Die … if we do not make the necessary progress with our Senate partners in budget negotiations,” Cummings, a Fleming Island Republican, told Florida Politics. That included VISIT FLORIDA, which the Senate authorized $50 million, below the $76 million level sought by DeSantis, while the House once again seeks to sunset the program. And being a legislator has increased the importance I place on tourism for our state. “If House priorities are met with great success this Session, then I would say yes. I think it is always very important in this process to be open minded to what is important to each presiding officer,” Cummings said. Cummings, who has gotten committee level contributions from medical cannabis companies, sees a balancing act in play between “providing relief and treatment for Floridians coping with very difficult and sometimes terminal medical conditions … without harming children or having other negative societal impacts.” Overall, the House budget chair is optimistic, including about a path to Certificate of Need (CON) reform. The House wants to open up competition in sectors that are profitable for hospitals, and the Senate (as of this writing) seeks somewhat more conditional competition. “Whether it be CON or other health care reform bills, major progress occurred (Thursday) in the Senate,” Cummings said. “ … It is shaping up to be a Session in which the Florida Legislature and Gov.