The Florida House just passed a budget that ups public school funding, reduces Medicaid reimbursements to First Coast hospitals by more than $30 million and increases tuition at the request of the state’s university presidents.

The $69.2 billion spending plan’s keystone provision has been a $1 billion boost for public education that was requested by Gov. Rick Scott. Roughly $300 million of that is to replace falling property tax revenues used to support schools and money that was in last year’s budget, but set to dry up this year.

(Read the House summary here.)

On the House floor, Democrats said because the schools budget was cut $1.3 billion last year, the boost does not “hold education harmless.”

“This $1 billion does not even make education whole,” said state Rep. Marty Kiar, D-Parkland.

State Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, who is vice-chair of the House subcommittee that writes the public education budget, said no matter how you slice it, this year’s budget represents a huge boost

“We are adding over $1 billion, that is 9.5 percent,” she said.

The budget passed on a party-line 79-38 vote and came after a series of mostly party-line votes on bills tied to changes made in the budget, or conforming bills. One that drew the hottest debate surrounded changes to the Medicaid program, which Democrats called the “wholesale elimination of essential services.”

Under the bill, Medicaid would no longer cover visits to the chiropractors or podiatrists. It also saves $16 million by limiting to 12 the number of times a Medicaid recipient can go the emergency room.

“I can’t support a bill that would limit the number of times you can go to an emergency room,” said state Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville. “This bill is not in the best interest of those who are less fortunate.”

Republicans said that their budget keeps in place the safety net relied on by Florida’s poorest populations.

“I’m very proud to say that this budget keeps that safety net in place … for the most vulnerable, for the indigent” said state Rep. Michael Bileca, R-West Miami.

The Florida Hospital Association, an industry lobbying group, estimates the House’s budget would reduce Medicaid payments to hospitals in Duval County by $30 million, Clay County by $2 million, St. Johns County by $665,485, and Nassau County by $239,962.

On higher education, the budget cuts funding to local institutions by $11 million, but includes a few positives for Florida State College at Jacksonville.

It puts FSCJ in a pilot program where it, along with two other colleges, partners with the Florida Virtual Campus to work with adult learners. FSCJ also is given the green light to use its general budgets to move forward on construction of a Southside degree-completion center, and a building for its Institute for Food Safety at the downtown campus.

The school gets no money for the projects but needed legislative approval to move forward using money outside the normal pot for college construction. It will need to raise $31 million from outside sources to complete the set of projects.

The House budget also proposes upping university and college tuition by 8 percent, a plan that university and college presidents have made a top priority. The Senate proposes a 3 percent increase for just colleges, and Gov.Rick Scott recommended no increase.

University of North Florida president John Delaney said he was happy with the House’s proposed tuition increase, and that he can “live with” the House’s spending plan, which cuts his schools budget by roughly $6 million.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/matt-dixon/2012-02-09/f...