Florida Legislative Session Update #1 House and Senate Release Budget Proposals
Date postedJanuary 31, 2020
This is the first in a series of several updates regarding the 2020 Florida legislative session. For more information regarding the legislation FAA is watching in 2020, please click here or email amanda@faahq.org.
House and Senate Release Budget Proposals:
- The Senate released a $92.8 billion budget, which includes $387 million for the State Apartment Incentive Loan program (SAIL) for low-interest loans to affordable housing developers, and the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), a need-based program that authorizes spending in Florida’s 67 counties. This proposal is in line with the governor's decision to fully fund the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
- The House released a $91.3 billion budget, which includes a mere $122 million for SHIP and SAIL. The House proposal would also give $25 million to the Hurricane Housing Recovery Program to produce and preserve affordable housing in hurricane-affected regions.
- Please note, it remains early in the budget process and negotiations between the House and Senate will begin shortly. You can rest assured that FAA will continue to fight for full funding of the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
FAA 2020 Legislative Priorities on the Move:
Protect the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund (SB 306/HB 381)
- We are pleased to report SB 306 has been scheduled for its first committee hearing on February 3 in the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee. At this time, HB 381 has not been scheduled for a hearing in the House.
- This important legislation would prevent the legislature from sweeping monies from the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund for other purposes within the state budget.
Reduce Emotional Support Animal Fraud (HB 209/SB 1084)
- HB 209 is currently awaiting consideration in its final committee, the House Judiciary Committee.
- SB 1084 is scheduled for its second committee hearing in the Senate Innovation, Industry, and Technology Committee on February 3.
- This important legislation would establish a criminal penalty for falsifying an emotional support animal and codify the right for property owners to ask for reliable documentation from a licensed professional when an individual's disability related need is not readily apparent.