Budget, guns in schools and felon voting ahead in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — If Florida lawmakers are trying to break a record for fewest bills passed during their annual session, they're on a pretty good pace.

So far only one bill has been sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — the repeal of a smokable medical marijuana ban that DeSantis signed into law last Monday.

There isn't much more teed up to go to DeSantis' desk. Sure, one bill that could see final passage is a measure that would require counties to post permit and inspection fees on their websites, as could another measure that would let theme parks, restaurants and hotels donate unclaimed lost property to charities instead of turning it over to police. But the most talked about issues facing lawmakers won't get to DeSantis this week.

The state budget will be a hot topic in the week ahead. The Senate and House have proposals ready for lawmakers to consider — both of which are below DeSantis' recommended $91.3 billion spending plan. The proposed Senate budget is $90.3 billion and the House is coming in at $89.9 billion.

All three budget proposals for fiscal 2019-2020 are higher overall than current budget. On education, the Senate wants an overall $1.1 billion increase for public schools, while the House increase is $600 million. DeSantis' plan is closer to the House figure. The Senate amount also includes about $600 million that local school districts could use for teacher raises or other needs.

The implementation of a constitutional amendment that restores the voting rights of most ex-felons will draw a lot of attention. Voters approved the amendment in November, and the ballot language states that felons can register to vote once they've completed their sentence, unless they were convicted of murder or a felony sex crime. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee will take up the issue Monday with a bill...