Jacksonville, Fl — Florida lawmakers finally reach agreement on a spending plan that delivers targeted raises for some state workers, money for an emergency response fund and a boost in spending on citrus research.
Corrections officers, state law enforcement officials and firefighters will receive a 4% raise.
House and Senate leaders are racing to meet a Tuesday deadline to complete the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1st.
The spending plan will be nearly $115 billion, less than the Senate’s preferred budget but not the $113.6 billion plan preferred by the House.
Lawmakers must finalize the spending plan to meet the 72-hour “cooling off” period required by the constitution before they can vote on it Friday, the last scheduled day of the special session on the budget.
The budget agreement also reverses major cuts to the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, restoring eligibility standards and bringing back medications that advocates say are critical to keeping people living with HIV healthy and protected.
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