Special Session Scheduled to Begin Sept. 18 is Postponed

In a letter issued today, September 5, 2007, to the Florida Legislature, House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt announced the postponement of the Special Session on budget reform previously scheduled to begin September 18, 2007.

The text of the letter is below, and a copy is attached for your review.

 

September 5, 2007

Dear Senators and Representatives:

On July 24, 2007 we issued a memo outlining our intention to jointly call the Florida Legislature into a Special Session to address reductions to the current year state budget. The temporary revenue shortfalls that we are experiencing are not at a level that has triggered constitutionally-mandated budget reductions; nevertheless, we believe that it is prudent and fiscally responsible to appropriately reduce state government spending given the current financial outlook.

Accordingly, Senate Committees, House Committees and state agencies have been working to produce spending reductions plans. Additionally, Governor Crist announced today that he will be issuing a set of budget cut recommendations later in the week. There is a unified effort on the part of state government leaders to make responsible spending reductions.

Over the course of our terms, we have observed numerous special sessions on a variety of issues; some that were successful, while others were not. The common denominator for productive special sessions is an initial agreement on a framework for action. This is even more critical when dealing with the difficult actions associated with budget reductions.

While there has been tremendous progress, there is still work to be done. Therefore, we want to inform you that an official call setting Special Session has been placed on hold, and we are canceling the previously-scheduled target starting date of September 18, 2007. We remain confident that an agreement will be reached and that we will have a fall special session.

Working together to make the best choices for Florida’s future is a goal that we take seriously. Taking additional time to make these choices will enable us to do the best job possible on behalf of Floridians.

Sincerely yours,

Ken Pruitt
President

Marco Rubio
Speaker