Senate committee reports $115 billion general appropriations bill after multi‑silo presentations
February 18, 2026 | 2026 Legislature FL, Florida
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The Senate Appropriations Committee on (SPB 2500) voted to report the 2026–27 general appropriations bill favorably after chair presentations and a consent‑agenda process for amendments.
The bill totals $115,000,000,000, and Chair Hooper said the proposal "is a fiscally responsible budget that reduces overall spending compared to last year" while maintaining reserves. The Senate package includes a 3% across‑the‑board raise for state employees and a 5% raise for state law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections staff and park rangers.
Committee chairs summarized funding by silo. Chair Burgess said the PreK–12 total (including local funds) is $34.9 billion and highlighted $30.0 billion for public schools and K–12 scholarships, a $693 million increase over the current year, a $50 increase to the base student allocation and supplemental funding to cushion districts experiencing enrollment declines. Chair Harrell described higher education investments focused on workforce programs, including a $90 million increase in college operating funds and funding for the Florida Center for Nursing. Chair Trumbull said more than $1.7 billion of HHS’s growth funds Medicaid and child care and listed targeted investments for rural health, provider rate increases and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
Several senators asked silo‑specific questions during the floor‑style review. Leader Berman pressed for details on the $11 million civic education line; Chair Burgess replied it funds civic literacy initiatives, a civics seal, and related professional development. Senators also pressed for clarity on declining‑enrollment supplements, cultural grant lists, and faculty recruitment funding; most chairs described the allocations as judgment calls in a scarce budget environment.
The committee used a consent calendar for roughly 180 timely‑filed amendments, with one amendment (and its substitute) taken up and adopted for individual consideration earlier in the meeting. After debate and public testimony on specific amendments and member bills, the committee voted to report SPB 2500 favorably as a committee bill.
The next procedural step is consideration in conference or on the floor where funding numbers and any technical conforming changes will be finalized.
The bill totals $115,000,000,000, and Chair Hooper said the proposal "is a fiscally responsible budget that reduces overall spending compared to last year" while maintaining reserves. The Senate package includes a 3% across‑the‑board raise for state employees and a 5% raise for state law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections staff and park rangers.
Committee chairs summarized funding by silo. Chair Burgess said the PreK–12 total (including local funds) is $34.9 billion and highlighted $30.0 billion for public schools and K–12 scholarships, a $693 million increase over the current year, a $50 increase to the base student allocation and supplemental funding to cushion districts experiencing enrollment declines. Chair Harrell described higher education investments focused on workforce programs, including a $90 million increase in college operating funds and funding for the Florida Center for Nursing. Chair Trumbull said more than $1.7 billion of HHS’s growth funds Medicaid and child care and listed targeted investments for rural health, provider rate increases and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
Several senators asked silo‑specific questions during the floor‑style review. Leader Berman pressed for details on the $11 million civic education line; Chair Burgess replied it funds civic literacy initiatives, a civics seal, and related professional development. Senators also pressed for clarity on declining‑enrollment supplements, cultural grant lists, and faculty recruitment funding; most chairs described the allocations as judgment calls in a scarce budget environment.
The committee used a consent calendar for roughly 180 timely‑filed amendments, with one amendment (and its substitute) taken up and adopted for individual consideration earlier in the meeting. After debate and public testimony on specific amendments and member bills, the committee voted to report SPB 2500 favorably as a committee bill.
The next procedural step is consideration in conference or on the floor where funding numbers and any technical conforming changes will be finalized.
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