After extending the 2017 Session to tie up the loose ends of the budget, Session has come to a close. The only business done today directly related to the budget and conforming bills. Below are the bills effected by the 2017-2018 fiscal year budget.  Please keep a look out for our Session Wrap-Up that will provide a summary of the bills AIF took a position on this session as well as our 2017 Voting Records.

HB 5401-Pesticide Registration
On Monday, May 8th, HB 5401, by the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee and Representative Chuck Clemons (R-Jonesville), was considered as a Conference Committee Report and was adopted by both chambers. HB 5401 passed the House by a vote of 109 yeas to 3 nays, and passed the Senate by a vote of 38 yeas to 0 nays.

This legislation repeals the authority of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to assess and collect a supplemental pesticide registration fee on certain products sold in Florida. The fee was created to defray the expense of the chemical residue laboratory within the FDACS. The Fiscal Year 2016-2017 General Appropriations Act provided $1,801,131 in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund to support the chemical residue laboratory.

HB 5401 will go on to the Governor within the State budget.

AIF SUPPORTS this legislation which removes a duplicative fee on businesses.

HB 7109-Relating to Taxation
On Monday, May 8th, HB 7109, by Representative Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) and the House Ways and Means Committee, was amended and read for a third time on the Senate floor and passed by a vote of 34 yeas to 4 nays. The bill went back to the House chamber to be considered as amended. Please see link to Senate amendments (945880, 708476, 445344, 561068, 452656, 234826, 454810, 189862, 326648).

The House received HB 7109, concurred to the amendments adopted by the Senate and also amended the bill themselves to reintroduce the provisions for tax collectors originally in the bill. HB 7109 passed by a vote of 105 yeas to 3 nays. The bill went back to the Senate to be considered as amended by the House. Please see link to House amendments (814613 and 283173).

The Senate then received HB 7109 and refused to concur to the bill as amended by the House and request that the House recede amendments 814613 and 283173.

The House received HB 7109, receded on amendments 814613 and 283173, and passed the bill by a vote of 109 yeas to 3 nays.

This tax package aims reduce taxes in the state of Florida for the 2017-2018 fiscal year by $180 million. HB 7109 provides for a wide range of tax reductions and modifications that affect households and businesses. Many of these reductions are of the utmost importance to our members and includes:

• Reducing the state sales tax on the rental of commercial real estate (known as business rent tax) from 6.0 percent to 5.8 percent for two years, beginning January 1, 2018, then maintains a permanent tax rate reduction from 6.0 percent to 5.5 percent, beginning January 1, 2020;
• Increasing the exempt sales price for farm trailers from $20,000 to $25,000;
• Increasing the amount of Research and Development Tax Credits that may be taken against the Corporate Income Tax from $9 million to $18 million for calendar year 2018;
• Exempting from sales tax certain animal health products and other agricultural items;
• Providing a ten-day “back-to-school” holiday for clothing, footwear, school supplies, and computers; and 
• Providing a nine-day “disaster preparedness” holiday for certain items related to disaster preparedness.

For a full list of what HB 7109 includes please click here.

HB 7109 will go on the to the desk of the Governor.

AIF SUPPORTS reducing taxes, such as the business rent tax, to attract new businesses to the Sunshine State.