2026 Legislative Session Update: Week 6

This week marks the mid-point of the annual Legislative Session, which traditionally signals the commencement of the most critical and intensive phase of the legislative calendar, the release of budget proposals from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This year, the two chambers came in with notably different numbers. The Senate proposed $115 billion in spending, while the House came in at just under $113.6 billion, a difference of more than $1 billion. Both proposals are well below the $117.4 billion requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis in December. Senate Appropriations Chair Ed Hooper framed the leaner budget as responsible governance, stating, "Limiting the size and scope of government helps keep Florida affordable for families and seniors." Senate President Ben Albritton echoed that sentiment, emphasizing long-term financial stability and living within the state's means.

On education, the Senate budget proposes $30 billion for public schools and K-12 scholarships, a $693 million increase over the current year, in addition to more than $1.4 billion for teacher raises and expanded career and technical education programs. Higher education investments include $100 million for research universities and targeted workforce development funding.

Given the differing priorities of both chambers, the proposals often contain completely different plans for how to use state funds. Now that both chambers have released their budgets, the entire process transitions into the negotiation phase. Over the next few weeks, leadership teams will engage in conference committees, which typically involve the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, Appropriations Chairs, and their key staff. The primary goal of the conference committees is to work toward resolving the differences between the two budgets. 

Every major policy consideration, from proposed tax reductions to salary increases for state employees, must be brought into alignment to create one unified financial plan for the forthcoming fiscal year. If both chambers fail to reach an agreement, the session could be extended , similar to the 45-day extension in 2025 due to a budget crisis.

The budget negotiations will ultimately result in the final endorsement of a single, unified General Appropriations Act. Once approved by a simple majority vote in both chambers, it is sent to the Governor, who can either sign it into law or use his line-item veto power to cut individual spending items from the budget.

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