Special Session on Congressional Redistricting

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS ARE GEARING UP FOR A RETURN TO TALLAHASSEE AS PART OF A SPECIAL SESSION CALLED UPON BY GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS. LAWMAKERS WILL RECONVENE ON MONDAY. APRIL 20TH TO ADDRESS THE REDRAWING OF FLORIDA'S CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAPS. WHAT REMAINS IN LIMBO, A STATE BUDGET. >> JOINING US NOW FOR A LOOK AT THE STATUS OF SOME KEY ISSUES IN TALLAHASSEE RIGHT NOW IS WGCU HOST AND REPORTER JOHN DAVIS. JOHN, WELCOME. LET'S START WITH THE SPECIAL SESSION ON REDISTRICTING, WHICH BEGINS ON MONDAY. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? >> RIGHT. SO THIS IS A SPECIAL SESSION TO SANTA'S CALLED A WHILE BACK. IT IS KIND OF UNUSUAL MID-DECADE CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING. USUALLY THAT ONLY HAPPENS EVERY 10 YEARS WHEN WE HAVE NEW CENSUS DATA. BUT THIS EFFORT REALLY STARTED, YOU KNOW, ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN TRUMP ENCOURAGED REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED TEXAS TO REDRAW THEIR DISTRICT MAPS. AND IT'S NOT JUST HAPPENING IN FLORIDA AND VIRGINIA. EARLY BALLOTING HAS ALREADY BEGUN FOR A VOTE ON THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT FOR NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAPS. HEAVILY BLUE MARILYN HAD BEEN CONSIDERING REDRAWING THEIR MAPS, BUT THEIR SESSION JUST ENDED AND THEY ENDED UP NOT GOING AHEAD WITH IT. THE SENATE, THE STATE SENATE IN MARYLAND WAS AGAINST IT BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO OUST THE STATE'S LONE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL SEAT. THERE WERE SENATORS WHO VOICED CONCERNS THAT THE EFFORT COULD ACTUALLY BACKFIRE. AND THAT'S SIMILAR TO THE SITUATION WE'RE DEALING WITH IN FLORIDA RIGHT NOW. REPUBLICANS HOLD 20 OF FLORIDA'S 28 CONGRESSIONAL SEATS CURRENTLY IN. SO THE INITIAL AIM OF THIS REDISTRICTING EFFORT WAS TO SEE IF REPUBLICANS COULD REDRAWN DISTRICT BOUNDARIES IN A WAY THAT WOULD GAME 5 MORE REPUBLICAN SEATS IN CONGRESS. BUT THEN WE HAVE THAT RECENT SPECIAL ELECTION WHERE WHEAT SOUGHT TO STATE LEGISLATIVE SEATS FLIPPED FROM REPUBLICAN TO DEMOCRATIC AND SO THAT HAS SORT OF CREATED A LITTLE BIT OF CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER THIS REPRESENTS A CHANGE IN VOTER OPINIONS AND WHETHER OR NOT GOING ABOUT THIS EFFORT MIGHT ACTUALLY BACKFIRE IN FLORIDA AS WELL. YOU KNOW, SOME FLORIDA REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED DOUBTS ABOUT REDISTRICTING, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES AS THAT OF FLORIDA MAP CHANGE WOULD ACTUALLY HELP DEMOCRATS WIN A SEAT. SO I THINK WHERE PEOPLE FALL ON THAT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH WEIGHT YOU GIVE THE RESULTS OF A SPECIAL ELECTION. SO I GUESS WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO SEE. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THIS IS ALSO HAVING AN IMPACT ON CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS AND VOTERS BECAUSE UNTIL SURE ISSUE WAS SETTLED, CAN'T YOU KNOW CANDIDATES WHETHER REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT OR INDEPENDENT, THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEIR DISTRICT BOUNDARIES ARE. AND LIKEWISE, THE VOTERS AREN'T GOING TO KNOW EXACTLY WHICH RACES THEY NEED TO BE LOOKING AT AND WHAT'S GOING TO BE ON THEIR BALLOT. AND IT JUST FIRSTLY IMPACTS CAMPAIGN TIMELINES. SO WE'LL SEE. >> AND THE BUDGET IS YET TO BE DECIDED. WILL THE BUDGET BE ADDRESSED AT ALL IN THE SPECIAL SESSION COMING UP? I DON'T THINK SO. >> BECAUSE THE PROCLAMATION CALLING THE SPECIAL SESSION CLEARLY STATES THAT THIS IS SOLELY TO DEAL WITH REDISTRICTING. NOW, YOU MAY REMEMBER THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE ARE STILL ABOUT 1.4 BILLION DOLLARS APART ON THEIR PROPOSED SPENDING PLANS. THE SENATE IS EMPHASIZING SPENDING RESTRAINT AND LOWERING TAXES LONG TERM. THE HOUSE IS PUSHING DIFFERENT PRIORITIES, INCLUDING TAX CUT SPENDING ALLOCATIONS AND LEADING TO WHAT LEADERS CALL OF BASICALLY A FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENT OVER THE BUDGET STRUCTURE. >> IT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL AMOUNT. I BELIEVE IT'S ABOUT ONE PERCENT OF THE OF THE BUDGET. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE. WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG COLD UP SUCH A SMALL NUMBER? THAT'S A GREAT POINT. JENNIFER. >> I MEAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROPOSED BUDGET THAT'S GOING TO BE IN EXCESS OF 100 BILLION DOLLARS. SO THIS 1.4 BILLION DOLLAR DIFFERENCE IN THE SPENDING PROPOSALS. IT IS. IT'S JUST 1.2% OF THE BUDGET. THE REASON WHY THIS MIGHT BE SIGNIFICANT, THOUGH, IS THAT STATE A U.S. KNOW FLORIDA IS HEADING TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, BILLIONS IN BUDGET CUTS OVER THE NEXT 2 YEARS. THE SPENDING IS NOT ALTERED ARRAIGNED IN SOMEHOW THE BUDGET IS PROJECTED TO BE IN THE RED BY OVER A BILLION DOLLARS NEXT YEAR. AND THEN BY 6 BILLION DOLLARS THE YEAR AFTER THAT AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING DOES HAVE TO CHANGE. THERE ARE THERE ARE SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS TODAY, JENNIFER. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE LATEST UPDATE ON. THANKS. A LOT.