Rep. Charles Chestnut (D-Gainesville) Statement Re Florida Budget
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rep. Charles Chestnut (D-Gainesville), Democratic Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, offered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on a proposed state budget.
“I cannot support this budget even though there is one good thing about this budget. It restores the funding to Jefferson county Correctional Institute.
Unfortunately, the budget probably won’t reduce the waiting list for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. This budget has no increase in PECO funding for school construction, but it has an 8-percent tuition hike. This budget also has a 7-percent cut to hospital inpatient and outpatient rates. This cut has a major impact to the district I serve.
“Shands at UF is not like other large Medicaid providers. Shands at UF has no local tax support (IGTs) to buy back these cuts. Shands at UF will face a shortfall of at least $60 million. Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala will lose $18 million and a projected job loss of 478 and a total economic loss of $57.4 million.
“This budget also sweeps transportation trust funds by $120 million with a potential loss of 4,000 to 5,000 jobs. This budget reduces nursing home provider rates. Minority crime prevention programs were cut and no funding for minority health care initiatives. This budget created new programs that were not funded last year. It picks winners and loser. This budget is balanced on the backs of poor people. This Legislature did not consider new revenue sources like the streamlining of sales tax on the internet. There were other options that could have been considered that could have been used to help. For instance an extra $500 million in this budget would have restore the estimated 5,400 CNA jobs reduced within Florida Nursing homes due to cuts in 2011-2012 budget.
Link to news release:
Rep. Charles Chestnut (D-Gainesville) Statement Re Florida Budget — Democratic Ranking Member, Florida House Appropriations Committee
