Gov. DeSantis VETOED this damaging legislation on June 30, 2020.  1000 Friends opposed this legislation and led the charge to secure its veto.  A sincere thanks to all of you who signed 1000 Friends' petition calling for a veto, and emailed, called or wrote the Governor.  YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!  And thank you to Gov. DeSantis for having the vision to veto this damaging legislation.

See 1000 Friends' statement here.

SB 410 was intended to override county oversight for a few specific development projects but will unintentionally impact planning to protect rural lands in dozens of counties across Florida.

SB 410 would have:

• Undermined the authority of many county governments to protect rural areas from development, even if voters approved that protection

• Cleared the way for high-density development in designated rural areas, such as the rural area approved by Seminole County voters in 2004

• Required every local government in Florida to include an unnecessary property rights element in its comprehensive plan which will be costly to prepare and unnecessarily duplicates already-existing state and federal laws

• Overridden county limits on development, subjecting our communities and natural lands and waters to damaging impacts

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (approved 1/27); Judiciary (approved 2/11); Rules (approved 3/2) PASSED SENATE 3/5; PASSED HOUSE 3/11; PASSED SENATE 3/12 

House referrals: Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (approved 10/23); Commerce Committee (approved 2/13); State Affairs Committee (approved 2/27) 

Thanks to your calls, this damaging bill was withdrawn.  We appreciate your support.

This bill was related to Florida’s Bert Harris Act, enacted in 1995, which curtails the ability of local governments to manage growth.  SB 1766 and HB 519 would have gone even further by:

• Greatly expanding the circumstances under which a Bert Harris claim can be filed -- Under the Bert Harris Act a property owner is required to submit an application for a development order, development permit or building permit to be able to trigger a Bert Harris challenge.  With SB 1766/HB 519, if the local government fails to provide notice about a regulation, a property owner may make a claim any time after the regulation is passed if they feel that the regulation is restrictive of uses allowed on the property, but there is no requirement to formally pursue an application to see if uses would actually be restricted in the way the property owner fears.
• Limiting the abilities of groups such as 1000 Friends of Florida and neighborhood associations to intervene in Bert Harris cases -- Both bills make a presumption that settlement offers made by the local government are “in the public interest.”  This will limit the ability of non-parties to intervene or participate in the resolution of Bert Harris cases.

Thanks to your earlier calls, a very damaging “similarly situated residential properties provision” was removed from both bills, but what remained still could have been very costly for local governments and place severe limits on their ability to manage growth. 

Why would this have been a problem for me?  These bills would have exposed taxpayers and local governments to unlimited financial liability for settlement charges and attorney fees and hinder local governments in managing growth due to the fear of serious financial repercussions.

House referrals:  Civil Justice Sub-Committee (approved 1/16); Commerce (approved 1/30); Judiciary (approved 2/6); PASSED HOUSE 3/9; WITHDRAWN 3/13

Senate referrals: Judiciary (approved 2/4); Community Affairs (approved 2/10); Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 250 Development Orders (Berman) & HB 6019 (Casello) would have repealed the amendment tacked onto HB 7103 from the 2019 legislative session that provided for prevailing party attorney fees incurred in a challenge to a development order.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Judiciary; Rules

House referrals: Commerce Committee; Judiciary Committee; State Affairs Committee.

SB 278 Climate Health Planning (Rodriguez) would have tasked the Department of Health with preparing an annual climate health planning report to assess the threat to human health posed by climate change and to develop strategies to help the state’s communities prepare for the health effects of climate change.  Factors would have been considered included water quality, air quality, sanitation, spread of diseases, crop yields, food production, housing and population migration, mobility and emergency response, wildfires and social unrest. 

Senate referrals: Health Policy; Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations 

SB 280 Climate Fiscal Responsibility (Rodriguez) sought to capture the economic impact of climate change by requiring the Economic Estimating Conference to prepare a climate fiscal responsibility report.  The report was to estimate the impact of climate change on the state’s general obligation credit rating, increased frequency of natural disasters, long-term trends, including sea level rise and then require that recommendations for immediate action that should be taken over the next 5, 10 and 20 years.

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security; Finance and Tax; Appropriations 

SB 286 Tax Credit for Farming (Rodriguez) nodded to the value of carbon sequestration that could be obtained by soil and vegetation management, by seeking to establish a carbon farming tax credit to benefit the state’s farmers.  It encouraged sequestration by incentivizing farmers to adopt best management practices and maintain their land in agricultural use.  The FDEP would have been tasked with determining the amount of the credit which must be based on the economic value of carbon farming.

Senate referrals: Agriculture; Finance and Tax; Appropriations

SB 288 Private Property Rights (Rodriguez) would have exempted from the definition of “public utility” property owners who own and operate a renewable energy source device, produce renewable energy from that device, and provide or sell the renewable energy to users on that property, under certain circumstances.

Senate referrals:  Innovation, Industry and Technology; Community Affairs; Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 306 (Mayfield) and HB 381 (Silvers) would have prevented legislators from diverting money from the state housing trust funds to other purposes.  Last year alone, legislators diverted $125 million from the state housing trust funds, and over the past 20 years, they have diverted more than $2 billion.  February 3:  Representatives from 1000 Friends of Florida and other members of the Sadowski Coalition – the broad array of groups supporting state investment in affordable, workforce housing – declared their support for safeguarding Florida’s housing trust funds by passing Senate Bill 306. Members of the Senate Committee on Infrastructure and Security then unanimously approved the bill, advancing it to its next committee, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development.  We appreciate all who called in support of SB 306.

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security (approved 2/3); Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation; WITHDRAWN 3/14

House referrals: Transportation and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; Appropriations Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/14 

SB 690 (Albritton) and HB 147 (Jacobs) are identical bills that would have required the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct a comprehensive and quantitative needs-based overview of the state’s water resources, specifying requirements for the overview and requiring the department to submit a report every five years to the Governor and the Legislature.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations.  WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee. WITHDRAWN 3/16

SB 748 (Flores) and HB 587 (Raschein) would have provided for damage awards for takings claims within areas of critical state concern. The Senate version was known as the “Florida Keys Property Rights Protection Act.”  HB 387 also relaxed a limit on development within the Keys by extending its hurricane evacuation time limit from 24 to 30 hours, increasing the risk to public safety and the area’s fragile environment.  

Senate referrals: Judiciary (approved 1/15); Community Affairs (approved 1/27); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Civil Justice Subcommittee (approved 1/29); Judiciary (approved 2/18); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/16

SB 1232 (Rouson) and HB 913 (Diamond & Raschein) would have created a Florida Climate and Resiliency Research Program within DEP and require it to submit Florida Resiliency Plan to Governor & Legislature at least once every 4 years.  

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security; Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/14

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/14

SB 1390 (Simmons) and HB 775 (Avila and Aloupis) would have required comprehensive plans and plan amendments adopted by the governing bodies of local governments whose boundaries include any portion of the Everglades Protection Area to follow the state coordinated review process. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/27); Community Affairs; Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 1/15); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 1/28); State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16

SB 1680 (Berman) and HB 6063 (Jenne) would have repealed a 2018 law that overrode local “customary use” ordinances and enabled private property owners to restrict access to beachfront property.  

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Civil Justice Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee; Judiciary Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16

SB 7016 (Infrastructure and Security Committee) and HB 1073 (Stevenson) would have established the office with the Executive Office of the Governor and create a Statewide Sea-Level Rise Task Force within the office. 

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security (approved 12/9); Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/13); Appropriations (approved 2/4); PASSED SENATE 3/6; WITHDRAWN 3/16

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 1/21); Appropriations Committee (approved 1/29); State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16

HB 459 (Overdorf) and SB 954 (Perry) would have preempted the authority of municipalities to apply architectural review regulations in historic districts, although individual historic buildings and properties would be exempted. “Historic properties” was not defined and therefore the bill would apply to single and two-family developments in a historic district. In response to concerns raised by the Florida Trust, the House bill was amended by its sponsor exempt properties in historic districts.  

House referrals: Business & Professions Subcommittee (approved 1/16); Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 1/28); Commerce Committee (approved 2/6); WITHDRAWN 3/16

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Innovation, Industry, and Technology; Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

HB 537 (Donalds) would specify conditions under which a business is considered home-based business, authorize home-based business to operate in residential zones, and prohibit local government from certain actions relating to licensure and regulation of home-based businesses. 

A similar bill, SB 778 (Perry) would authorize a home-based business to operate in a residential zone under certain circumstances, preempt to the state the ability to regulate or license home-based businesses, and prohibit a local government from certain actions relating to the licensure and regulation of home-based businesses. 

1000 Friends of Florida opposes these bills because they pre-empt local zoning authority.  

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Commerce and Tourism; Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/14 

House referrals: Business & Professions Subcommittee (approved 2/4); State Affairs Committee (approved 2/20); Commerce Committee (approved 2/27); WITHDRAWN 3/14

HB 4999 (Ingoglia) would have provided $5.95 million for a Statewide Sea Level Tracking Program in the Department of Financial Services. 

House referrals: Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 1/13); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/14

Though this bill did not pass, its provisions were amended into House Bill 1091, which passed both chambers and was transmitted to the Governor. 

SB 150 (Brandes) would have encouraged counties and municipalities to establish a sanitary sewer lateral inspection program and requiring a seller of real property to disclose any known defects in the property’s sanitary sewer lateral – its connection to a main sewer line.  The bill would also have established and maintained a publicly accessible database to store information when a damaged or deteriorating sanitary sewer system has been identified. Though this bill did not pass, its provisions were amended into House Bill 1091, which passed both chambers and was transmitted to the Governor. 

Senate referrals:  Environmental and Natural Resources (passed 11/13); Judiciary (passed 12/10); Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 182 (Stewart) and HB 6043 (Grieco, Eskamani) sought to delete preemptions of local laws relating to the regulation of auxiliary containers, plastic bags and polystyrene, thus opening the door for more local government control over single use plastics and polystyrene. It was filed in response to an appeals court ruling that struck down a local ordinance in Coral Gables that banned polystyrene from restaurants, supermarkets and other food establishments in the city. 1000 Friends of Florida generally supports the authority of local governments to regulate activities within their borders – home rule – and supports these bills.  

Senate referrals:  Community Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources and Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals:  Business and Professions Subcommittee; Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Commerce Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16

SB 200 (Montford) and HB 547 (Fitzenhagen), a similar bill, would have broadly banned the drilling method known as fracking, and included both “high-pressure well stimulation” and “matrix acidization.” Fracking would have been prohibited under the bills, even in cases where having a permit for drilling and operating a well were authorized. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 11/14); Innovation, Industry and Technology; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13 

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee;  WITHDRAWN 3/14

SB 318 (Stewart) would have prohibited the sale, offer for sale, or distribution of sunscreen products with ingredients harmful to coral reefs to a consumer who did not have a prescription.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Commerce and Tourism; Rules; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 332 Land Acquisition Trust Fund (Stewart) in a copy of a bill she introduced in the 2019 session, required $100 million a year to be appropriated from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to the Florida Forever Trust Fund, and barred any of those funds from being used for administrative expenses in several state agencies with environmental responsibilities. 

HB 849/Altman, a similar bill, also required $100 million a year to be appropriated from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for the Florida Forever Trust Fund and barred its use for administrative expenses. It also extended the period by which any bonds must be retired from 2040 to 2054.   

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 11/4); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government (approved 2/25); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13 

House referrals:  Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; Ways & Means Committee; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/16

SB 454 (Rodriguez) would have prohibited the construction of new deep injection wells for domestic wastewater discharge or the expansion of existing wells. It would also have required current ocean outfall and deep well injection permitholders to install a functioning reuse system within the utility’s service area by specified dates and prohibit the discharge of domestic wastewater through ocean outfalls and deep injection wells after specified dates.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 638 (Montford), similar to a bill he introduced in the 2019 session, would annually reserve at least $12 million from the Florida Forever Trust Fund for land acquisition and infrastructure projects to improve water quality in the Panhandle areas struck by Hurricane Michael in 2018.  The bill was amended in committee before approval on Feb. 25 to reduce the annual funding to $5 million

HB 1347 (Shoaf) would require at least $5 million from the Florida Forever Trust Fund to be spent on projects that improve surface water and groundwater quality with the Apalachicola Bay Area of Critical State Concern beginning in the 2020-2021 fiscal year and continuing through the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Projects may include the construction and replacement of stormwater management facilities and central sewage collection facilities, installation of onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems, direct and indirect potable reuse, and other water quality and water supply projects. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved12/9); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (approved 2/25); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 2/4); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 2/12); State Affairs; WITHDRAWN 3/14

SB 640 (Harrell) and HB 153 (Fine, Roth) are similar bills that provided that certain projects identified in a specified Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan would be eligible for state funding. They directed the Department of Environmental Protection to coordinate with water management districts to identify projects and grant recipients.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 12/9); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13.

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 11/13); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16. 

SB 686 (Gruters) and HB 405 (Good) directed water management districts, with DEP oversight, to adopt rules for standards relating to stormwater management for new development and redevelopment projects.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13.

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16. 

SB 722 (Montford) would have required $50 million a year through the 2026-27 budget year to be spent from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund on conservation and management projects, including reforestation; ecosystem management; fire control; debris removal; pollution mitigation; beach nourishment; coastal or shore protection structures; and land acquisition.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13 

SB 1098 (Cruz) would have assessed bottled water companies a fee of 5 cents per gallon on water extracted for the production of bottled water, deposited the fees into the Water Protection and Sustainability Program Trust Fund, and fined companies that fail to comply. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (temporarily postponed 1/16); Agriculture; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 1112 (Taddeo) & HB 861 (Willhite) would have imposed an excise tax of 12.5 cents per gallon water extracted for bottled water, deposited the fees into Wastewater Treatment and Stormwater Management Revolving Loan Trust Fund; bill included enforcement provisions and penalties for failure to pay.  A last-minute amendment that sought to delete the entire bill and instead change it from a 12.5 cent tax to a 12.5 cent civil penalty fee if the permitted quantity of water allowed in the Consumptive Use Permit was exceeded.  The amendment failed. 

House referrals:  Ways & Means; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/14

Senate referrals: Commerce and Tourism (temporarily postponed 1/21); Finance and Tax; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/14

SB 1382 (Albritton) would have provided that basin management action plan management strategies might include a cooperative regional agricultural water quality improvement element. Such strategies could also have included a cooperative urban, suburban, commercial, or institutional water quality improvement element. DEP would have been authorized to develop a nutrient reduction cost-share program. Any initiatives to confer legal standing or rights on wildlife, plants or other environmental assets would have been barred.  

HB 1363 (Overdorf) is a similar bill that included basin management action plan strategies but did not includes the provision pre-empting initiatives to confer legal standing on environmental assets.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/27); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13  

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 1/28); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 2/3); State Affairs; WITHDRAWN 3/16 

SB 1878 (Bradley) would have created a new section of law to include an annual appropriation, beginning in fiscal year 2020-2021, of a minimum of $625 million for the purposes of Everglades restoration and the protection of water resources in the state. The appropriation would have been repealed on June 30, 2023, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 2/3); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

SB 7024 (Environment and Natural Resources) would have revised legislative findings under the Florida Forever Act to include wildlife crossings as a land acquisition purpose, required that certain allocation from the program’s trust fund include allocation for lands impacted by hurricanes, and made other changes to the program. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/13); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13 

HB 715 (Maggard) and SB 1656 (Albritton) provide that recycled water is a water source for public water supply systems, specify point of compliance with drinking water standards for water recycling projects, and provide that recycled water projects must be included in regional water supply planning and are exempt from certain permits.  

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 2/4); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 2/11); State Affairs Committee (approved 3/2); PASSED HOUSE 3/9; WITHDRAWN 3/13

Senate referrals: Innovation, Industry, and Technology (approved 2/3); Governmental Oversight and Accountability (approved 2/17); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

HB 791 (Fitzenhagen) and a similar bill, SB 1608 (Mayfield), would have required DEP to give funding consideration to estuaries identified under National Estuary Program, required funds to be used for specified projects, and required programs receiving funding to submit report to Governor, Legislature, DEP, & water management districts. 

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations.  WITHDRAWN 3/13

HB 1199 (Ingoglia) would have barred local governments from recognizing or granting certain legal rights to the natural environment or granting such rights relating to natural environment to person or political subdivision. 1000 Friends opposed this legislation as an infringement on home rule and a pre-emption of local decision making on environmental issues.  

House referrals: Civil Justice Subcommittee (approved 1/29); Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee (approved 2/4); Judiciary Committee (approved 2/12); WITHDRAWN 3/14

HB 6077 (Eskamani) would have repealed a 2019 law that restricted local governments in regulating tree pruning, trimming, & removal on residential property. 

House referrals: Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Commerce; State Affairs; WITHDRAWN 3/14

HB 6081 (Eskamani), entitled “Conservation Easements,” would have eliminated shortcuts that companies use to develop Conservation Easements, specifically utility uses such as pipeline companies, power companies and toll road companies 

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee; Energy & Utilities Subcommittee: State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/14

While SB 7020 did not pass, its provisions were incorporated into SB 7018 which has been signed into law by Gov. DeSantis.

SB 7020 (Infrastructure and Security) would have authorized the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to plan, design, and construct staging areas for emergencies as part of the state’s turnpike system. The bill required FDOT to give priority consideration to placement of such staging areas in counties with a population of 200,000 or less in which an M-CORES corridor is located.

While SB 7020 died after passing the Senate on March 6, its provisions were amended into another bill, SB 7018, which passed both chambers and was signed by the Governor on June 9. In addition to its provisions on emergency staging areas, SB 7018 requires FDOT to  coordinate, develop, and recommend a master plan for the development of electric vehicle charging station infrastructure along the State Highway System. It provides that a permit application by a county or municipality to use the right-of-way for a utility must be processed and acted upon within an expedited time frame.  And it permits owners of agricultural land with conservation easements to voluntarily negotiate access to their land for utility construction. 

Senate referrals: Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development (approved 1/29); Appropriations (approved 2/20); PASSED SENATE 3/6

SB 76 (Book) & HB 551 (Jenne) would require community transportation coordinators to plan for and use any available cost-effective regional fare payment systems that enhance cross-county mobility for the specified purpose of the transportation disadvantaged.

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security (approved 1/27); Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation; Tourism, and Economic Development (approved 2/13); Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee (approved 1/15); State Affairs Committee (approved 1/30); PASSED BY HOUSE 2/13. 

SB 676 (Mayfield) and HB 465 (Sirois), entitled the “Florida High-Speed Passenger Rail Safety Act”, would have required the Department of Transportation to regulate railroads when that authority wass not federally preempted, required railroad companies to be responsible for ensuring that impacted roadbed meets specified transition requirements under certain circumstances, and required state railroad inspectors to meet certain certification requirements and coordinate their activities with federal inspectors. 

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security (approved 1/21); Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Appropriations; WITHDRAWN 3/13

House referrals: Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee; Transportation and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; WITHDRAWN 3/16