Senate Unanimously Passes Budget Focused on Education: Unprecedented K-12 Per Student Funding, Key Investments in Higher Education, State Employee Raises
Statement from
"If you look around the country, if you see vibrant, sustainable economic development and high paying jobs, you almost always see a higher education presence. The
"Over the last ten years, student tuition has nearly doubled, pushing the hope of higher education out of reach for too many students. The
Statement from Senator
"A dedicated and qualified state workforce is critical to our economy. For far too long, our state employees have gone without an increase in their pay. Our budget provides an across the board pay increase for state employees, with meaningful pay increases in areas where we have had trouble with employee retention. We significantly increase the starting salary for corrections officers, and appropriate impactful raises throughout the department ranks. The
Summary of SB 2500, the 2017-2018 General Appropriations Act
Total Budget:
Major Statewide Issues
Education Capital Outlay
Total:
* Public School Repairs and Maintenance -
* Charter School Repairs and Maintenance -
* Developmental Research Schools -
* Public School Special Facilities -
* Florida College System Repairs and Maintenance -
* Florida College System Projects -
* State University System Repairs and Maintenance -
* State University System Projects -
*
*
*
* University Challenge Grants -
*
*
In addition:
Compensation and Benefits:
Florida Retirement System - Total
* State Agencies -
* School Boards K-12 -
* State Universities -
* Community Colleges -
Pay Issues - Total
* State Employee Pay Increase -
* Correctional Officer Pay Increase -
* State Law Enforcement Pay Increase -
* Assistant Public Defender Pay Increase -
* Judicial Pay Increase
* Pay Issues - Total
State Employee Pay Increase -
*
*
* Effective Date
All Pay Issues below are in lieu of the overall State Employee Pay Increase (Except for the Veterans' Affairs certified nurse assistant, pay issue)
* Correctional Officer Pay Increase -
Minimum Salary adjustment as follows
Correctional Officer
Correctional Officer Sergeant
Correctional Officer Lieutenant
Correctional Officer Captain
Minimum
Effective Date
* State Law Enforcement Pay Increase -
5 percent Pay Increase for Sworn Law Enforcement Officers
Effective Date
* Assistant Public Defender Pay Increase -
6 percent Pay Increase for Assistant Public Defenders with a minimum 3 years of experience in the Judicial Circuit they are currently employed.
Effective Date
* Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsels -
* Judicial Pay Increase -
DCA Judge:
Circuit Judge:
County Judge:
* Special Pay Issues
Critical market pay for Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office to address recruitment and retention issues
Critical market pay for certified nursing assistant employed by the
Set minimum salary for law enforcement officers working for the
Authorized a
Authorizes the
Authorizes the
* Health Insurance Benefits
Six percent increase on overall premiums (state pays the full amount of the increase for employees)
Retain current prescription drug copayment tiers (
Authorize dependent eligibility verification audit
PreK-12 Education
Summary
Total Appropriations:
Total Funding - Including Local Revenues:
Early Learning Services
Total:
* Voluntary Prekindergarten Program -
* School Readiness Program -
Total Funding:
* FEFP Total Funds Increase is
* FEFP Increase in Total Funds per Student is
* Enrollment Workload Increase of
* No Change in Required Local Effort (RLE) Millage of 4.638
* Federally Connected Student Supplement - total
* ESE Guaranteed Allocation - additional
* Supplemental Academic Instruction - additional
*
* Instructional Materials -
* Elimination of Virtual Education Contribution - reduction of
* Digital Classrooms -
* Mentoring Programs -
* Gardiner Scholarships - additional
* School District Matching Grants for school district foundations -
* School and Instructional Enhancement Grants -
* Exceptional Education Grants -
*
Total:
* Assessment and Evaluation -
* Transfer of
Higher Education
Summary
Total Appropriations:
Total Funding - Including Local Revenues:
District Workforce
Total:
*
* Perkins Career and Technical Education grants and Adult Education and Literacy funds - [
* No tuition increase
Total:
* Developmental Education Reduction -
* Restoration of nonrecurring EETF base funds -
* FRS adjustment -
* No tuition increase
State University System
Total:
* Performance Based Funding -
Reprioritized from the base of each institution
* World Class Faculty and Scholar Program -
* State University Professional and Graduate Degree Excellence Program -
* Additional Funds for Preeminent and Emerging Preeminent State Universities -
* TEAM Grants -
* No tuition increase
Private Colleges
Total:
* Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grants (formerly FRAG) - Increases student award amount from
* ABLE Grant - Increases student award amount from
* Historically Black Colleges and Universities Funding Increase -
Student Financial Aid
Total:
* Bright Futures - Academic Scholars Award Increase and Textbook Stipend -
* Bright Futures - Academic Scholars Summer Funding -
* Florida Student Assistance Grants - Increase Need-Based Aid -
* First Generation Matching Grant - Double State Match -
* Florida Farmworker Scholarship Program -
* Benacquisto Scholarship Program - Workload and Expansion -
* Children/Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans Workload Increase -
* Need-based educational benefits to pay living expenses during semester breaks for active duty and honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces -
Vocational Rehabilitation
Total:
* Adults with Disabilities funding -
Summary
Total Budget:
Total:
*
* Nursing Home Prospective Payment Transition -
* Reduction of Hospital Rate Enhancements -
Total:
* Service Provider Rate Increase to Address Federal Fair Labor Standards Act -
* Waiver Support Coordinator Rate Increase -
* Licensed Practical Nurse Rate Increase -
Total:
* State Mental Health Treatment Facilities Additional Staffing - 40.0 FTE;
* State Mental Health Treatment Facilities OPS Restoration -
* Community-Based Care Lead Agencies Funding Increase -
* Child Care Regulatory Compliance - 16.0 FTE;
* Maintenance Adoption Subsidies -
* Prescription Drug Abuse Treatment Federal Grant -
* Additional Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Funding -
Total:
* Alzheimer's Respite Care - 249 slots -
* Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) Program - 372 slots -
* Home Care for the Elderly (HCE) Program - 274 slots -
* Public Guardianship Services - 286 slots -
* Specialized Alzheimer's Day Care Center Rate Increase -
Total:
* Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Outbreak Control Workload -
* Child Protection Teams -
* Poison Control Centers -
*
Total:
* Complete Construction of 7th
* Veterans' Benefits and Assistance Workload - 10.0 FTE;
Civil and Criminal Justice
Summary
Total Budget:
* Funding the
* Funding a new residential mental health facility -
* Funding half of State Courts Technology Comprehensive Plan -
Attorney General/ Legal Affairs
Total:
* Criminal appeals workload - 10 FTE and
* Information Technology workload - 3 FTE and
* Information Technology infrastructure improvements -
* Increase in the Federal Victims Assistance and Compensation (VOCA) Grants -
* Statewide prosecution case management system -
* Leased office space cost increase -
* Increased cost of statewide prosecution -
Total:
* Funding the
* New residential mental health facility -
* Motor vehicles -
* Enhance education and training program -
* Fixed capital outlay for repair and maintenance of DOC facilities -
Total:
* Fixed capital outlay for new
* Sexual assault kit backlog reduction plan - 5 FTE and
* Improve sexual offender and predator registry -
* Increase trust fund authority for law enforcement training -
* Increase sexual assault kit grants -
* Enhance missing children response and investigations - 9 FTE and
* Unsolved case website -
* Funds final year of Computerized Criminal History (CCH) database -
Total:
*
* Funds state share of juvenile detention cost share -
* Increases the number of juvenile residential commitment beds -
* Funds enhanced evidence-based services for residential programs -
* Funds the SNAP Program for young children -
* Fixed capital outlay for repair and maintenance of department-owned facilities -
State Court System
Total:
* Funding half of State Courts Technology Comprehensive Plan -
* Case management resources -
* Address additional 3rd DCA courthouse costs -
* Naltrexone injections to treat opioid- and alcohol-addicted offenders -
* Veterans' Courts -
Total:
* Increased due process funding for death penalty cases -
* State attorney workload -
Clerks of the Court
* Address clerk revenue deficits -
Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development
Summary
Total Budget:
* Transportation Work Program -
* Affordable Housing Programs -
* Economic Development Incentive Programs, Projects and Initiatives -
*
* Library Grants and Initiatives -
* Cultural and Museum Grants and Initiatives -
* Historic Preservation Grants and Initiatives -
*
* National Guard Tuition Assistance -
Total:
* Economic Development Incentive Programs, Projects and Initiatives -
Economic Development Toolkit Payments and Initiatives -
Payments for existing contracts-$38.4 million
*
VISIT
* Workforce Development Programs, Projects, and Initiatives -
Quick Response Training Program -
Workforce Development Projects and Initiatives -
* Affordable Housing Programs -
SHIP -
More flexibility in the SHIP program regarding rent subsidies and rental assistance
State Housing Programs -
At least 50 percent for the SAIL Program
Housing and Community Development Programs, Projects, and Initiatives -
Housing and Community Development Projects and Initiatives -
Technical and Planning Assistance and Competitive Florida Partnership Program -
Building Homes for Heroes-$1 million TF
Total:
* State Aid to Libraries -
* Libraries -
* Library Technology Grants -
* Library Cooperatives -
* Cultural & Museum Program Support and Facilities Grants -
* Historic Small Matching and Facilities Grants -
* County Elections Assistance -
Total:
Transportation Work Program -
* Highway and
* Resurfacing and Maintenance -
* Design and Engineering -
* Right of Way Land Acquisition -
* Public Transit Development Grants -
* Rail Development Grants -
* County Transportation Programs:
Small County Outreach Program (SCOP) -
Other County Transportation Programs -
* Aviation Development Grants -
* Seaport and Intermodal Development Grants -
* Economic Development Transportation ("
* Shared-Use Non-Motorized Trail Network -
* Transportation Disadvantaged Program Grants -
Total:
* Armories -
* Community Outreach Programs (Forward March and About Face) -
* Secure and Harden State Readiness Centers -
* Tuition Assistance for
Total:
*
Replacement Of In-Car Digital Video Cameras-
*
* Enterprise Data Infrastructure -
* Maintenance and Repairs of Facilities -
Total:
* Federally Declared Disaster Funding, excluding state match -
Communities -
State Operations -
* Statewide Notification and Alert System -
* Residential Construction Mitigation -
The Environment and Natural Resources
Summary
Total Budget:
Total:
* Wildfire Suppression Equipment
* Florida Forest Service Grants for Endangered Species
*
* Farm Share and Food Banks
* Agricultural Best Management Practices Partnership Agreements
* Agriculture Education and Promotion Facilities
* Citrus Health Response Program
*
* State Farmers Markets Facility Improvements
* Critical
* African Snail Eradication Program
* Child Nutrition Program Grants
Total:
* Advertising/Promotion
Total:
* Everglades Restoration
* Northern Everglades Restoration
*
* Florida
* Hurricane Recovery Beach Projects
* Beach Management Funding Assistance
* Springs Restoration
* Indian River Lagoon Septic to Sewer Assistance Grants
* Water Projects
*
* State Parks Maintenance and Repairs
* Petroleum Tanks Cleanup Program
* Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
* Drinking Water & Wastewater Revolving Loan Programs
* Hazardous Waste/Site Cleanup
* Small County Solid Waste Management Grants
* Small County Wastewater Treatment Grants
*
* Local Parks
* Water Management Districts' Minimum Flows and Levels Support
Total:
* Apollo Marine Fish Hatchery
* Boating Infrastructure and Improvement Program
*
* Derelict Vessel Removal
* Black Bear Conflict Reduction
*
General Government
Summary
Total Budget:
Total:
* Promoting Florida's Hospitality Program -
* Legal Costs-
Total:
* Florida Planning,
* Florida Accounting & Information Resource (FLAIR) Staff Augmentation -
*
* Workers' Compensation Insurance Fraud -
* Fire College
* Local Government Fire Services -
*
* Increase State Fire Marshall Grant Programs -
* K-12 Public School Funding Transparency Website -
Total:
* Statewide Document Management System -
* Information Technology upgrades to software, hardware, and equipment -
Total Budget:
*
*
* Dependent Eligibility Verification Services -
* Florida Interoperability Network and Mutual Aid -
* Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) Staff Augmentation, Equipment and Independent Verification and Validation Services -
*
* Fleet Management Information System -
Total Budget:
Total:
* Infrastructure Replacement and License Consolidation -
* Security Training -
Total:
* Replacement of Motor Vehicles -
Total:
* Fiscally Constrained Counties -
* Aerial Photography -
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