The Florida State Law Rotunda was filled Wednesday evening with students who wanted a sneak peak at what the upcoming Florida legislative session may look like.The sneak peak was offered by Florida Senators Mike Haridopolos (R-Melbourne) and Dan Gelber (D-Miami), along with Representatives Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park) and Michael Scionti (D-Tampa).
The Fourth Annual Legislative Preview was sponsored by the Student Bar Association, the Democratic Law Society and the Republican Law Society. President Emeritus and Professor Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte was the moderator and most of his questions for the panel centered around the international fiscal crisis and Florida's reaction.
Cannon said the question must be: "Where does Florida stand in comparison to other states?" and the answer is that our economy is suffering, but not as badly as a state like California, which just cut 1/3 of its budget.
He said to help resolve the economic crisis for the state, the legislature must remember the Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. So the legislature must not raise fees that will be harmful in the long-term. Second, he said, "we must think long-term" and find ways to reduce the government burden through smart investments in education and technological advances.
Haridopolos discussed the cuts the legislature had already made in the state budget. A few years ago, the budget was $74 billion. This year, the budget of $63 billion represents an unprecedented cut, but even that may not be enough. He said the senate is looking at increasing some taxes, on items like cigarettes and gambling. Also, he reiterated, the senate is looking at reductions in other taxes to compensate for those potential increases, including in property taxes and cell phone taxes.
"We can't take money out of people's pockets that they don't have," the Republican from Melbourne said. "People are hurting more than government."
Gelber cited the previous boom growth rate, an already low tax rate and leaner revenue as reasons why. "Florida is free-falling, losing money faster than any other state."
The last time Florida had double digit unemployment rates was during the Great Depression, Gelber said, and soon the unemployment rate will reach 10, 11, 12 percent. The problem is, he added, that people don't know how to fix the problem. However, "we can't just say we're not going to give food stamps or health care."
Scionti addressed the legislature having dipped into trust funds, including the Lawton Chiles and the Stabilization funds.
He said that the legislature had tried to look at trust funds very carefully before making any decisions toward reaching a balanced budget. He had questioned how he would use a personal savings account in his own household.
"I would try to tap into those moneys in a very careful way," he said.
The representatives and senators answered a litany of other questions from D'Alemberte before the forum ended with a reception and opportunity for students to address the legislators.
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