House Bill 4559

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4559

        By the Committee on General Government Appropriations and
    Representative K. Pruitt





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to water management districts;

  3         amending s. 373.536, F.S.; providing that the

  4         Legislature shall statutorily adopt or modify

  5         program priorities for water management

  6         district budgets; providing that the districts

  7         shall incorporate these program priorities in

  8         developing their budgets; providing that the

  9         Executive Office of the Governor shall

10         determine whether each district's budget is

11         consistent with the applicable program

12         priorities; providing that the Executive Office

13         of the Governor shall disapprove those portions

14         of a water management district's budget that

15         are determined to be inconsistent with

16         applicable program priorities; providing an

17         effective date.

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19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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21         Section 1.  Subsection (6) is added to section 373.536,

22  Florida Statutes, to read:

23         373.536  District budget and hearing thereon.--

24         (6)(a)  For water management district fiscal year

25  1999-2000 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Legislature

26  shall statutorily adopt or modify program priorities for water

27  management district budgets.  The program priorities may vary

28  for each district and shall be based on the statutorily

29  mandated programs and activities of the districts and the

30  particular needs within each district in the four areas of

31  responsibility as listed in paragraph (5)(a).

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4559

    610-115A-98






  1         (b)  Beginning in fiscal year 1999-2000, and annually

  2  thereafter, each water management district shall incorporate

  3  the applicable program priorities in the development of its

  4  budget.

  5         (c)  As part of its review of water management district

  6  budgets pursuant to this section, the Executive Office of the

  7  Governor shall determine whether each district's budget is

  8  consistent with the applicable program priorities.  In

  9  determining whether a district's budget is consistent with the

10  applicable program priorities, the Executive Office of the

11  Governor shall take into consideration comments on or

12  objections to the proposed budget by the public and members of

13  the Legislature, including comments and objections submitted

14  by the chairs of the House and Senate appropriations

15  committees pursuant to paragraph (5)(d), and the district's

16  need to address natural disasters, other unforeseen

17  circumstances, or issues of substantial concern to the

18  citizens of the region. By September 15, 1999, and annually

19  thereafter, the Executive Office of the Governor shall notify

20  in writing the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the

21  House of Representatives, and the chairs of the substantive

22  and fiscal committees having jurisdiction over water

23  management district activities as to all determinations made

24  pursuant to this subsection.

25         (d)  Based on the authority granted the Executive

26  Office of the Governor to approve or disapprove, in whole or

27  in part, the budget of each water management district in

28  paragraph (5)(a), and in accordance with the specific

29  processes outlined in paragraph (5)(b), the Executive Office

30  of the Governor shall disapprove those portions of a water

31  management district's budget that it determines, under

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4559

    610-115A-98






  1  paragraph (c), are inconsistent with the applicable program

  2  priorities.

  3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 31,

  4  1998.

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  7                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  8
      Provides that the Legislature shall statutorily adopt or
  9    modify program priorities for water management district
      budgets, and that the districts shall incorporate these
10    program priorities in developing their budgets. Provides
      that the Executive Office of the Governor shall determine
11    whether each district's budget is consistent with the
      applicable program priorities, and shall disapprove those
12    portions of a water management district's budget that are
      determined to be inconsistent with applicable program
13    priorities.

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