Florida Action Center

SAVE FLORIDA'S CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Week 3 Session Update
3/19/2010

The budget continued to be the hot topic around Tallahassee during Week 3 of the 2010 session.  As we mentioned last week, state economists have estimated Florida’s budget deficit for the upcoming year at around $3.2 billion. This deficit clearly adds difficulty to our mission of saving Florida’s biomedical research programs, which are set to expire on January 1, 2011 barring action by the Legislature.

Last week, Sen. Durrell Peaden (R-Crestview), chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, released his initial budget recommendations, which included an allocation of $52.2 million toward biomedical research, contingent upon the passage of our priority legislation, SB 620 by Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Niceville), or similar legislation.  When the final Chairman’s recommendation was released, the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program was allocated $27.2 million and the Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program was set to receive $25 million. The committee voted their budget out today, and it will now move on to the Senate Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Sen. JD Alexander (R-Lake Wales), where they intend to vote on the full Senate budget next week. SB 620 is currently in the Senator Peaden’s Senate HHS committee, and with the budget process moving along rapidly, it is likely a hearing in that committee is imminent.

The House Health Care Appropriations Committee, chaired by Rep. Denise Grimsley (R-Sebring), released its budget proposal early this week. Unfortunately, the House has only included minimal funding for our priority issue, with $2.2 million for the King Biomedical Research Program, and our Advocacy Team has begun to lobby members of the House on the importance of saving these critical programs. The House Health Care Appropriations Committee intends to take up its budget for a vote at their next scheduled meeting, Friday, March 26^th. Our team continues to urge the House to move HB 861 by Rep. Marti Coley (R-Mariana), the companion measure to Senator Gaetz’s research legislation, through the committee process.  The House bill remains in its initial committee of reference, the Health Care Regulation Policy Committee.

Also included in Sen. Peaden’s and Rep. Grimsley’s budget recommendations was our other top legislative priority, continued funding for Amendment 4, the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program. Both the Senate HHS Appropriations and the House Health Care Appropriations budgets have the Tobacco Prevention and Education program appropriately funded at nearly $61.3 million. The House budget also includes approximately $7.9 million in additional money for the program, utilizing carry over funds from the previous fiscal year.

As always, we appreciate your ongoing efforts in support of our life-saving mission.  With your vigilance and timely action, we can have yet another successful session waging our battle against this insidious disease.

Yours in the Fight,

Paul

Paul Hull
Vice President, Advocacy & Public Policy
American Cancer Society, Florida Division

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