Who wins the tug-of-war between teachers and healthcare workers outside the Senate chamber?
Tallahassee, Florida -- There is always a tug-of-war between ideas at the state Capitol, but there was a literal tug-of-war contest outside the Senate chamber on Thursday.
Teachers and healthcare workers squared off against each other and started tugging back and forth on a rope to symbolize, what they called, the tug-of-war created by Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget.
Scott is pushing for deep cuts to health care to boost funding for education.
But then the teachers and nurses threw down the rope and started chanting, "Drop the rope! Drop the rope!"
Teacher and healthcare unions say it's not fair to rob Medicaid to pay for education. They're supporting legislation from Democrats called the "Fair Economy Act".
Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich says her legislation would help stop large corporations from using accounting tricks that allow them to pay little or no taxes.
"Let me be perfectly clear. My bill, Senate Bill 1590, will not raise your taxes. But it will ensure that large corporations finally pay their fair share for the services they use. I repeat. This is not a new tax. It bears repetition because people will want to tell you that this is a tax increase. It is not. It is a tax already on the books that Florida-based companies have been paying all along but large corporations manage to avoid."
Sen. Rich has filed the proposed legislation for several years, but Republican leaders have never given it a committee hearing.
Union members also delivered petitions to the Senate president and House speaker, urging them to consider Rich's legislation and not cut health care or education.
Dave Heller