A gutted version of a bill that would prevent the state from redirecting dedicated fees to other budget items was passed Thursday by the state Senate.
It now goes back to the House, whose members were angered by changes that would make the bill ineffective for years.
Rep. Jay Powell, R-Camilla, wanted House Bill 811 to guarantee that fees such as the $1 per tire that consumers pay to clean up tire dumps and recycle tires could no longer be spent on other programs. The original bill won support from local governments, who often are left paying for fee-based programs, such as indigent legal defense, while the fees collected are moved around to cover state budget shortfalls elsewhere.
Senate Democrats tried to restore the bill on the floor but failed. As amended by committee, the bill would be in force only when the state’s reserves contain about $1 billion or more. The reserves have run that high only a few times in recent decades and now stand at about $328 million.
HB 811 passed on a 45-7 vote. It now goes back for consideration in the House, whose members passed the original bill last month. The bill's chances for revival, however, are slim, given that only three days remain in this year's legislative session.
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