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Scott's Budget Proposal Not Winning Praise From Legislators

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) – State legislators are questioning the rationale of several items in Governor Rick Scott's $74.2 billion proposed budget.

On Tuesday his budget director spent nearly three hours going over the spending plan before a House budget panel.

Republican and Democratic legislators raised questions on some of the governor's key proposals, including his push to offer a $2,500 across-the-board pay raise to school teachers and a one-time bonus for state employees.

House budget chief Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, questioned the rationale behind the proposals, noting that the governor was also proposing to give a third of state employees merit raises as well as the bonus. Scott also wants to hand out raises to corrections officers.

Democratic legislators also questioned why Scott has refused so far to take a stance on whether the state should accept federal aid to expand Medicaid.

The Affordable Care Act calls for expanding Medicaid coverage to those who are just above the poverty line, but the decision is optional for states. Scott initially was opposed to expansion of the safety-net program but then softened his stance after President Barack Obama was re-elected.

Jerry McDaniel, the governor's budget director, repeated Scott's position that "there's too many questions" on whether to go forward with the expansion right now.

Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples and chairman of the House committee that oversees health care spending, raised questions about Scott's proposed cuts for hospitals.

Scott, who once ran the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, has proposed a 2 percent cut to hospitals that treat Medicaid patients, although he wants to shield rural and children's hospitals from the cut.

McDaniel defended the proposal by saying that Florida's hospitals are currently "profitable."

"They make money and they do pretty well," McDaniel said.

But Hudson said later that he is concerned about the "cumulative" effect of years of budget cuts to the state's hospitals. He noted that Scott did not propose similar cuts to other health care providers such as nursing homes.

State lawmakers during their annual session will use Scott's recommendations as a framework for a new state budget. The session starts in March.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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