political perspective Legislative Update by: Rep. Jay Trumbull, House Chairman of Appropriations
W
hen I was elected to represent Bay County in the Florida House of Representatives in 2016, I had three goals in mind: implement policies to create
jobs, stop or block policies that kill jobs and advocate for policies
Appropriations Committee on the budget, the executive office writes checks accordingly.
that will help continue to create jobs far into the future.
Overall, the House’s proposed budget for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year
Those policy goals were based primarily on my own experiences
all of this increase is related to $4.4 Billion of additional federal
as a small businessman, working in our family business growing
funds the state has received for the federal share of spending
up, and then having the opportunity to own other businesses
for the Medicaid program, and to help public schools continue to
along the way. I know firsthand the best thing we can do to ensure
remain open to serve all of Florida’s children.The state portion of
Bay County’s prosperity is to give every family’s breadwinner the
the increase is only $387.5 Million, less than 1% over the current
opportunity to be employed to their highest and best ability.
year budget.
Unfortunately, I also know that too often, the single biggest
We also took the strong step to keep more than $5 Billion in
obstacle to the job creators of Florida is government at all levels.
reserves for the state’s rainy day fund. Our reserve is one reason
Too much red tape, too many taxes and too many bureaucracies
why Florida’s state government continues to receive an out-
are job killers. That is why I have advocated strongly for reducing
standing credit rating and keep interest rates on public debt to an
regulation, cutting taxes, and streamlining state agencies. When
absolute minimum.
government does spend money, it needs to be spent on items that will facilitate a strong economy. I have also been an advocate for investing state dollars in public safety, workforce education, and
6
After my House Committee confers and agrees with the Senate
totals $97 Billion, an increase of 5.2% over the current year. Nearly
The following includes other aspects of our agenda in several key areas:
real infrastructure like roads, ports, and bridges.
Red Tape/Regulation
Last year, I had the honor of being asked by Speaker Chris Sprowls
This year, Speaker Chris Sprowls established the House Regulatory
to chair the House Appropriations Committee. In layman’s terms,
Reform Subcommittee. It has been my pleasure to work with the
that simply means he put me in charge of the state’s checkbook.
chairman and several other members of the committee on initia-
BAY BIZ / SUMMER 2021
