In an unexpected move, the governor of Florida vetoed all arts grants in the state. As a result of the unprecedented action, Florida organizations have claimed the move could have unpleasant consequences for many businesses.
According to Steven Haines, veto action can bring a lot of art-related businesses into bankruptcy. Haines mentions that several of these businesses are only just recovering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Haines is the executive director of Symphony of the Americas.
According to Bari Newport, a producer for GableStage, she believes that the financial burden for the art grants falls to Miami-Dade. Miami Dade is one of the nation’s largest art donors. Newport claimed that several arts and cultural institutions are already financially dependent on the county.
However, according to the veto report, the cuts reduce the county arts budget by $6.5 million. Consequently, the cut affects the county’s opera, theatres, and art museums, amounting to over 120 organizations.
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Additionally, when examined, the total number of art institutions affected by the cut amounts to about 600. The press statement released by the governor’s office failed to provide sufficient reason for the veto cut. The statement summed up its reason for being in the state’s best interests.
The action is one of several veto cuts by the state government to minimize the state budget. The state budget veto reduction totaled $900 million. Another of the cuts was a program that was intended to give free tampons and sanitary towels to public school students.
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Rep. Skidmore pushed for a bill to address absences in class as a result of a period-related crisis. Skidmore is a Democrat from Boca Raton. The bill came after it was announced that period-related crises are one of the causes of truancy, accounting for one in four absentees.
Skidmore released a statement in which she acknowledged that a total of fifteen states, including the nation’s capital, have passed similar bills. Subsequently, Skidmore stated that girls in school should not miss class or education for five days every month.
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Previous attempts to provide tampons and pads to school children in the state legislature failed, but a bill was passed in 2019 requiring prisons to offer the items to female inmates. The projected cost of the Menstrual Hygiene Products Grant Program was $6.4 million.
DeSantis said in a statement that he disagrees with certain items being suitable for the use of state funds. Additionally, DeSantis stated that some of the things are things that we have state programs for but that he supports.
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