HB5003 provides the statutory authority necessary to implement and execute the Florida’s budget for FY 2022-23. The $112.1 billion budget package passed by the Legislature (HB 5001: General Appropriations Act) is the largest in state history–a 10.4% increase from the previous year’s $101.5 billion budget.
The Senate passed HB5003 on March 14, 2022, by a vote of 33 to 0. We have assigned minuses to the yeas because the $112.1 billion spending plan passed by the Legislature relies heavily on unconstitutional federal funds, with federal dollars comprising about 35% of the entire budget. It not only continues participation in the Florida Medicaid program, which has grown to more than 5 million recipients, but allocates $3.4 billion of the state’s remaining federal COVID-19 stimulus funds. States should oppose the use of federal taxpayer money for purposes not authorized under Article 1, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution.