Florida’s 60-day legislative session coming to a close

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The Legislature was getting ready to wrap up its 60-day legislative session Friday absent the drama that marked last year’s lawmaking process.

The most important thing left for lawmakers on the final day was passing the $82.3 billion budget, a vote that couldn’t take place before 2:53 p.m. because of a requirement that lawmakers wait 72 hours to pass the spending plan once both chambers agree to it. That time came and went as lawmakers were still tinkering with large education and transportation bills.

But with most other major legislation either dead or already passed, House members were spending most of the day sitting around waiting for any remaining bills to be approved by the Senate before voting on the budget. The House already debated the spending plan Thursday.

It was oddly quiet in a process that’s usually busiest on its final day, when the biggest priorities are often held hostage until deals can be struck.

“The amount of big policy issues like medical marijuana or gaming, things like that, were all resolved before today,” said Republican Sen. Bill Galvano of Bradenton. “I feel like we’re in a much better place between the chambers and that’s how the Legislature should work. We can disagree as we’re designed to do in certain instances, but procedurally and process-wise, this is how it should work.”

It also was a far cry from last year, when the session blew up over a disagreement on the budget and the House went home three days early and let other priorities die as the Senate stayed to finish whatever business it could. The Legislature had to return for a special session to finish the budget, and then for two more sessions that ended without agreements on drawing congressional and state Senate political districts.

The Legislature will leave Tallahassee after passing about 250 bills. Among them were measures to set water polices, place new restrictions on abortion clinics, allow terminally ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes, replace a statue of a Confederate general that represents Florida in the U.S. Capitol, require an arrest before police can seize money and property, and require at least 10 of 12 jurors vote to condemn prisoners before they can receive the death penalty.

The session was also about bills that died, like a $3 billion gambling agreement that Gov. Rick Scott negotiated with the Seminole tribe, a proposal to allow guns on state college campuses and a bill that would have given civil rights protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.