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Senate committee advances budget cuts despite Democratic opposition
The Florida Senate Ways and Means committee passed its budget cuts on Thursday morning, voting 14-7 with most Democrats voting against the package. Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando was the only Democrat to vote for the bill.
"The cuts to human services are really catastrophic," Sen. Nan Rich said. "I believe we should have found a way to prevent our most vulnerable from being hurt by this budget. Unfortunately we have not found a way to do so."
In both chambers, education and health care are taking the deepest hits.
So far, one of the bigger sticking points between the House and the Senate is how to raid the Lawton Chiles fund. The Senate takes a bigger first bite: $700-million from the Lawton Chiles fund. However, the money can't be taken before June 10.
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