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Lawmaker Wants Vetoes To Build State Savings Account

Ken Teegardin via Flickr

What happens when the governor cuts an appropriation out of the budget?  One Jacksonville area Senator wants to send the money to the state’s rainy day fund.

This June, Governor Rick Scott vetoed over $460 million in the Legislature’s budget.  And that means in the 2016 session, those funds will be added back into the state’s general revenue fund.  But Sen. Travis Hutson (R-St. Augustine) says Florida should send that money to its savings rather than its checking account.

“My thought is instead of just handing money over to that fund each year based on the Legislature or pulling money out of it, why don’t we just use some of these veto dollars that are considered maybe pet projects or turkeys to build that fund up,” Hutson says.

The move requires amending the state Constitution, so if lawmakers approve the measure it heads to the voters next.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.